The deal will see it advance predictive antibiotic resistance platform toward clinical deployment
Predictive infection intelligence company Informuta has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the US National Science Foundation (NSF). The highly competitive grant, one of roughly 80 Phase II awards NSF makes annually nationwide, will support Informuta’s transition from successful early validation into prospective clinical studies and real-world health system implementation of its antibiotic resistance forecasting platform.
The US$1.25m grant builds on Informuta’s successful NSF Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I award and represents an important next step in the development and validation of the company’s technology. The Phase II program will support the next stage of Informuta’s platform to patients: prospective validation using real clinical isolates, implementation of the platform within hospital microbiology and antimicrobial stewardship workflows, expansion of predictive models across priority bacterial pathogens and continued development of the laboratory and quality infrastructure required for clinical testing. Together, these efforts are designed to establish the clinical, operational and analytical evidence needed to move Informuta from research-stage validation toward routine clinical deployment. Informuta is conducting this work in partnership with University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre, Informuta’s research institution partner since Phase I, and University of California, Irvine.
Informuta is developing a potentially first-in-class capability in infectious disease care: predicting how antibiotic resistance is likely to evolve before it becomes clinically apparent. Today, antimicrobial susceptibility testing tells clinicians which antibiotics appear effective at the time a sample is tested. These static snapshots, however, cannot capture whether resistance is likely to emerge during treatment – a particularly consequential risk in high-acuity patients. Informuta combines whole-genome sequencing, proprietary predictive genomic biomarkers and artificial intelligence to quantify that future risk.
As Informuta moves toward prospective validation and clinical deployment, the company has also expanded its clinical and operational leadership. Ryan Shields, Pharm.D., M.S., BCIDP, has joined as Chief Medical Officer; Ayesha Khan, Ph.D., D (ABMM), M (ASCP), as Vice President of Clinical Microbiology; and Barbara Zehentner, Ph.D., M.B.A., HCLD as Lab Director. Together, they bring complementary expertise spanning infectious diseases and antimicrobial stewardship, clinical microbiology, regulatory strategy, quality systems and clinical laboratory operations – strengthening the infrastructure required to translate Informuta’s predictive technology into real-world clinical use.
“Phase I asked whether this biology could be turned into a predictive technology. Phase II asks the harder and more important question: can we make that prediction reliably inside real hospital workflows and ultimately use it to help clinicians make better treatment decisions?” said Kalen Hall, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO of Informuta. “That is the transition Informuta is making now: from promising science to clinical infrastructure. This funding allows us to generate the prospective evidence, operational workflows and laboratory foundation required to bring predictive infection intelligence to patients. We’re proud that this next stage of the company is being built here in New Orleans.”
The Phase II award also marks continued growth for Informuta in New Orleans. Founded in New Orleans and spun out of Tulane University in 2023, the company won the 2024 BioChallenge, NOBIC’s national startup pitch competition, and operates its central laboratory and operations at NOBIC. Informuta has grown with support from Louisiana’s investment ecosystem, including the New Orleans BioFund, NOBIC’s affiliated investment fund, Tulane Ventures, 1834 Ventures, Boot64 Ventures, and the Flamingo Funders.
“NSF Phase II awards go to companies that delivered on their Phase I work, and Kalen and her team delivered,” said Kris Khalil, executive director of NOBIC. “Informuta won the BioChallenge, built its lab here at NOBIC and is now taking important steps toward CLIA certification and CAP accreditation – all milestones that move the company closer to commercial readiness. Our team has supported Informuta along that path, from lab infrastructure and technical resources to navigating the requirements that come with bringing a biotech product to market. With continued support from BioDistrict New Orleans and Louisiana Economic Development, we are expanding that hands-on commercialization support, including SBIR and STTR assistance, so more Louisiana companies can make that same jump from the bench to the market.”
