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Spero Teams With Roche To Target Gram-Negative Pathogens

Roche gets an option to acquire program addressing drug-resistant gram-negative infections when it reaches IND-filing status. Spero is working on a novel target found originally in infected tobacco plants.

Spero Therapeutics LLC, launched in 2013 with seed funding from Atlas Venture with a focus on developing novel antibiotics for gram-negative infections, has signed its first partner. The Cambridge, Mass.-based biotech announced April 9 that it will partner with Roche on preclinical development of a molecule addressing an undisclosed novel target that has shown the ability in preclinical studies to shut off the effects of gram-negative pathogens.

Roche is providing non-dilutive R&D funding to Spero, which is about halfway through the IND-enabling work for the candidate, said...

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