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Infectious Disease Drug Discovery

Novel antimicrobials, antivirals, antifungals, vaccines, and host-directed therapies require more than conventional efficacy testing. They demand translational models, robust pharmacology, and a deep understanding of host-pathogen biology.

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The path from discovery to clinical success in infectious disease is increasingly complex. Our infectious disease drug discovery CRO services help you generate the evidence needed to make confident decisions earlier. Through integrated in vitro and in vivo infection models, formulation optimization, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) analysis, biomarker strategies, and mechanism-focused study design, we help advance promising therapeutics toward clinical development.

Infectious Disease Drug Discovery CRO
Antiviral & Antimicrobial Testing

A robust portfolio of antiviral and antimicrobial in vitro assays supports vital development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of infectious diseases.

Bacterial Lung Infection

In vivo lung infection models enable the assessment of new therapies in complex models with high clinical relevance and predictive value.
Deep Wound and Topical Skin Infection

Clinically relevant wound and skin infection models support the discovery of new therapies for those chronic, complex infections, which often exhibit multidrug resisitance.
Influenza Models

Assess efficacy of anti-influenza drugs and vaccines in models that replicate human infection, with in vivo and ex vivo readouts and endpoints.
Neutropenic Thigh Infection

Assess antimicrobial efficacy, antimicrobial-microbe interactions and antimicrobial pharmacokinetics in this simple but widely validated model.
Sepsis Models

Investigate drug effects on complex immune processes involved in bacterial infection sepsis models, with disease-specific and clinically relevant endpoints.

Urinary Tract Infection

In vivo models support the development of new therapeutics for common urinary tract infections (UTIs) and their long-term consequences.

Infectious Disease Pharmacology Services 

Our infectious disease pharmacology services support programs from lead optimization through candidate selection and IND-enabling strategies. In vitro models and assays enable generation of early insights into efficacy, potency, and mechanism of action using clinically relevant assays, while in vivo studies evaluate therapeutic performance in disease-relevant models that support translational understanding.

Selecting the right infection model is critical to generating meaningful data. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of preclinical infection models that can be tailored to specific pathogens, drug modalities, and development objectives. This includes clinically relevant multidrug-resistant organisms, including ESKAPEE pathogens, supporting efficacy studies against increasingly important antimicrobial resistance threats.
In Vitro Infectious Disease Studies
In Vivo Infectious Disease Studies
Resistant Pathogen Models
Modality Areas of Focus

In Vitro Infectious Disease Studies 

  • Antimicrobial susceptibility testing
  • Antiviral efficacy assessment
  • Pathogen growth inhibition assays
  • Biofilm assays including an ex vivo lung biofilm model
  • Host-pathogen interaction studies
  • Combination therapy evaluation
  • Resistance profiling
  • Mechanistic and phenotypic screening

In Vivo Infectious Disease Studies 

  • Longitudinal disease monitoring
  • In vivo bioluminescence imaging (IVIS)
  • Survival and disease outcome studies
  • Combination therapy assessment
  • PK/PD studies
  • Dose optimization
  • Efficacy evaluation
  • Biomarker analysis

Resistant Pathogen Models 

  • Enterococcus faecium
  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae
  • Acinetobacter baumannii
  • Pseudomonas aeruginosa
  • Enterobacter species
  • Escherichia coli

Modality Areas of Focus 

  • Antimicrobial drug discovery
  • Antiviral drug development
  • Antifungal drug development
  • Vaccine development support
  • Antimicrobial resistance research
  • Host-directed therapies

Translational Infectious Disease Research Designed for Better Decisions 

Drug candidates fail when efficacy signals do not translate into meaningful clinical outcomes. Our approach combines disease biology, microbiology, immunology, and pharmacology to generate data that improves confidence in development decisions. We design studies around the biological mechanisms that drive responses to infection. By integrating multiple scientific disciplines, we help you move beyond proof of activity and exposure, integrating pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and translational biomarkers to establish clear relationships between dose, exposure, biological activity, and treatment response.

  • Therapeutic efficacy
  • Target engagement
  • Pathogen burden reduction
  • Host immune responses
  • PK/PD modeling
  • Translational biomarker development
  • Mechanism-based study endpoints
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Antimicrobial Development
  • Novel antibiotic evaluation
  • Resistance mitigation strategies
  • Combination therapy assessment
  • Mechanism-of-action studies
Antiviral Development
  • Antiviral screening
  • Viral load quantification
  • Host response characterization
  • Translational efficacy studies
Vaccine Research Support
  • Challenge models
  • Immunogenicity assessment
  • Correlates of protection
  • Biomarker identification

Anti-Infective Drug Discovery Services

 Successful anti-infective development requires the ability to understand both pathogen biology and the host response. Our multidisciplinary teams support discovery programs across a range of therapeutic modalities. 

Why Partner With Our Infectious Disease CRO?  

We help drug developers generate decision-ready data that supports efficient progression through discovery and preclinical development. Whether developing first-in-class therapeutics, addressing antimicrobial resistance, or advancing vaccine candidates, our teams are focused on delivering scientific insights that reduce uncertainty and accelerate progress.

  • Deep expertise in microbiology and immunology
  • Comprehensive infectious disease model portfolio
  • Translational study design
  • Integrated in vitro and in vivo capabilities
  • Advanced imaging and biomarker technologies
  • Flexible support for emerging and established programs
  • Experience supporting pharmaceutical and biotechnology innovators worldwide
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Frequently Asked Questions About Infectious Disease Drug Discovery  
What is an infectious disease drug discovery CRO?

An infectious disease drug discovery CRO provides outsourced scientific expertise, pharmacology services, infection models, and efficacy testing to support the development of antimicrobials, antivirals, antifungals, vaccines, and other anti-infective therapies.
Why are translational infectious disease models important?

Translational models help predict clinical outcomes more accurately by reflecting the biological complexity of human infection, including host immune responses and pathogen behavior.
What types of anti-infective therapies can be evaluated?

Studies can support small molecules, biologics, antibodies, vaccines, gene therapies, host-directed therapeutics, mRNA vaccines, bacteriophage and other emerging modalities.
How do PK/PD studies improve infectious disease drug development?

PK/PD studies establish the relationship between drug exposure and therapeutic response, helping identify optimal dosing strategies and increasing confidence in clinical translation.
Can you evaluate therapies against antimicrobial-resistant pathogens?

Yes. Studies can be conducted using clinically relevant multidrug-resistant pathogens, enabling assessment of efficacy against organisms associated with growing global resistance challenges.
What stage of development do your services support?

Our services support drug discovery and preclinical development from early screening and lead optimization through efficacy testing, translational pharmacology, and IND-enabling strategies.