TUCSON, Ariz., September 4, 2025 — In a groundbreaking advancement for academic drug development, the Critical Path Institute’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator (TRxA) program has announced a record year of funding and mentorship in 2025. Since its inception in 2022 and the awarding of its first grants in 2023, 2025 marks the most productive year for TRxA, with an unprecedented seven BRIDGe awards supporting innovative research projects. This milestone not only underscores the growing momentum of academic contributions to translational medicine but also highlights TRxA’s unique role in bridging the gap between laboratory discoveries and clinical applications.
The 2025 cohort of awards spans a diverse array of high-need diseases and cutting-edge therapeutic modalities, reflecting the program’s commitment to advancing treatments in underexplored and challenging areas of medicine. Notably, TRxA’s strategic funding focuses on fostering promising drug candidates that address significant unmet clinical needs, ranging from rare liver diseases to treatment-resistant cancers. The selected projects embody the essence of translational research, combining scientific rigor with practical pathways to drug development readiness.
Among the significant recipients of 2025 TRxA funding is the team led by Stan van de Graaf, M.D., Ph.D., together with Matthias Versele, Ph.D., who received $473,000 to propel a novel small molecule acting on the sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide (NTCP) for primary sclerosing cholangitis—a rare and debilitating liver disease characterized by progressive inflammation and fibrosis of bile ducts. This innovative approach leverages targeted modulation of bile acid transport to mitigate disease progression, representing a potential paradigm shift in hepatologic therapeutics.
In parallel, a consortium including Thomas Dick, Ph.D., Veronique Dartois, Ph.D., and Courtney Aldrich, Ph.D., secured $339,394 to advance rifamycin analogs designed to overcome the notoriously drug-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus lung infections. These infections present considerable treatment challenges due to intrinsic bacterial resistance, biofilm formation, and persistence within lung tissues. The research integrates medicinal chemistry with pharmacokinetic optimization to yield agents with enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity, addressing a critical gap in respiratory infection management for immunocompromised patients.
Another notable award of $150,000 was granted to Gregory Thatcher, Ph.D., in collaboration with Xuejun June Li, Ph.D., for development of a novel therapeutic strategy targeting hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). HSP encompasses a group of genetic disorders leading to progressive lower limb spasticity. Their approach involves mechanistic insights into neurodegeneration pathways, potentially unlocking targeted intervention for these otherwise untreatable neurodegenerative processes.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a complex and multifactorial gastrointestinal disorder, represents another frontier where TRxA provides pivotal support. Carlos Subauste, M.D., received $200,000 to investigate a therapeutic candidate that selectively targets the CD40-TRAF2 signaling axis, a critical pathway implicated in chronic intestinal inflammation. This approach aims to modulate immune responses at a molecular level, potentially offering more precise and effective management of both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
In diabetes research, TRxA funded efforts totaling $250,000 to a team at Washington University in St. Louis, including Kyle Apley, Ph.D., Cory Berkland, Ph.D., and Peggy Kendall, M.D. Their project focuses on a new drug candidate modulating the CD22 receptor mechanism, which plays a role in the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic beta cells characteristic of type 1 diabetes. By targeting CD22-mediated pathways, this research aims to restore immune tolerance and preserve endogenous insulin production.
In a unique collaboration with the Sontag Innovation Fund, Jim Olson, M.D., Ph.D., and Andrew Mhyre, Ph.D., of Seattle Children’s Research Institute received $250,000 for pioneering work on pediatric brain tumors. Their strategy involves the development of a PD-L1-CD3 T-cell engager, an immunotherapeutic agent designed to harness and redirect the patient’s immune system toward cancer cells. This form of targeted immunotherapy is at the forefront of oncology, offering hope for more effective and less toxic treatments for young patients in desperate need of novel therapeutics.
The largest individual grant, amounting to $815,000, was awarded to Brian Dymock, Ph.D., of UniQuest’s QEDDI in Brisbane to further develop QED-203, a novel drug candidate aimed at treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Prostate cancer that resists standard treatments presents a major clinical challenge; QED-203’s unique molecular target profile and pharmacodynamics could translate into a new line of defense against refractory disease, broadening options for patient survival and quality of life.
Together, these seven awards cumulatively represent approximately $2.48 million invested in pioneering translational science. Each project is carefully selected based on its potential to overcome key bottlenecks in drug development, with TRxA offering not only funding but also comprehensive mentorship. This includes expert guidance across the spectrum of preclinical stages — medicinal chemistry, toxicology, formulation development, manufacturing, and regulatory oversight — ensuring that academic discoveries mature into development-ready candidates poised for industrial partnerships and clinical trials.
Maaike Everts, Ph.D., Executive Director of TRxA, emphasized the program’s unique model: “TRxA was built to back strong science and the people behind it. This year’s seven awards show the breadth of areas where targeted translational planning matters. We combine funding with hands-on guidance in preclinical activities such as chemistry, toxicology and manufacturing, and regulatory education so teams reach key decision points with a clear path forward.” This holistic approach significantly reduces the traditional barriers and uncertainties that academic teams face, accelerating the journey from bench to bedside.
C-Path’s CEO Klaus Romero, M.D., M.S., FCP, added, “From day one we designed TRxA to shorten the distance between academic discovery and a development-ready program that can positively impact novel drug development. The 2025 cohort demonstrates that model at work across continents and disease areas, with disciplined plans that can de-risk early work and increase the odds promising candidates reach the people who need them.” This international footprint and cross-disciplinary collaboration amplify the program’s impact, fostering a global network of innovation.
Founding partners such as Research Corporation Technologies’ Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation have played an integral role in TRxA’s success. Shaun Kirkpatrick, President of Research Corporation Technologies, stated, “TRxA’s model is proof that disciplined translational planning in academia can move promising science to points where industry can act. Our Fredrick Gardner Cottrell Foundation is proud to be TRxA’s founding partner and continue to support its innovative programs that help nonprofit research organizations expand their programming and research funding to further advance early-stage therapies to patients in need.” Their commitment exemplifies the crucial role of philanthropic support in driving scientific progress.
Looking ahead, TRxA aims to broaden its reach and accelerate impact by introducing co-branded Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with nonprofit research organizations starting January 2026. These partnerships will enable nonprofits to access TRxA’s robust infrastructure, expert consultants, and project management resources, all within a collaborative framework. This initiative intends to foster tailored, scalable drug development pipelines, further facilitating the transition from academic innovation to clinical intervention. Interested parties are encouraged to contact TRxA’s Executive Director Maaike Everts for collaboration opportunities.
Critical Path Institute continues to be a pioneer and a vital international convener of resources and expertise. Its 20-year legacy in expediting drug development is reinforced by over 1,600 dedicated scientists and stakeholders worldwide. The TRxA program exemplifies C-Path’s mission to catalyze innovation for global health by enabling academic researchers to navigate the complexities of translational therapeutics efficiently and effectively. The momentum in 2025 suggests a new era where academia-driven drug development will play an increasingly prominent role in addressing unmet medical needs across a range of devastating diseases.
Subject of Research:
Academic drug development and translational therapeutics acceleration across multiple disease areas including rare liver diseases, drug-resistant infections, neurodegenerative disorders, inflammatory bowel disease, type 1 diabetes, pediatric brain tumors, and treatment-resistant prostate cancer.
Article Title:
Critical Path Institute’s Translational Therapeutics Accelerator Marks Record-Breaking Year in Academic Drug Development with Seven BRIDGe Awards in 2025
News Publication Date:
September 4, 2025
Web References:
http://c-path.org/trxa
Keywords:
Translational Therapeutics, Academic Drug Development, Critical Path Institute, TRxA, BRIDGe Awards, Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis, Mycobacterium abscessus, Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Type 1 Diabetes, Pediatric Brain Tumors, Prostate Cancer, Preclinical Drug Development, Non-Dilutive Funding, Regulatory Education, Translational Science
