A Western Australian research program which is developing a nasal probiotic therapy called Spritz-OM to prevent childhood ear infections has received a $300,000 grant to progress the project.
The therapy aims to use ‘friendly’ bacteria to guard the ear from otitis media (OM) and reduce overuse of antibiotics.
CUREator, a national biotechnology incubator, announced new top up funding will develop assays to enable phase one patient sample analysis and the generation of clinical proof-of-concept data for phase two.
The Spritz-OM research program is based at The Kids Research Institute Australia in Perth.
CUREator, which is funded by the Medical Research Future Fund and the CSIRO, supports Australian biomedical research and innovation development. Initial funding supported development of a master cell bank for GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) manufacturing of Spritz-OM for future clinical studies.
Lead inventor, Associate Professor Lee-Ann Kirkham, a research microbiologist from The Kids Research Institute Australia, has worked on the therapy for 10 years. She previously said it had been shown to work in the laboratory.
She said the team envisaged it would be suitable for any child at the onset of any respiratory infection to prevent the development of middle ear infections and in particular for those prone to infections or with a family history of ear infections.
The Brandon BioCatalyst biotech incubator announced $1.23 million in top-up funding for six high-performing participants from its preclinical and minimising antimicrobial resistance streams in a media release on 4 September 2025.
Brandon BioCatalyst is a collaboration of more than 50 leading medical research institutes, investors, and government to progress the next generation of medical therapies and technology.
It is managed by Brandon Capital, an Australasian life science venture capital firm.
CUREator top-up funding was awarded through a competitive process by each stream’s investment review committee, based on progress made with initial project funding and the strength of their proposed top-up plans.
From the minimising antimicrobial resistance stream, $570,000 was awarded to two projects thanks to funding from the CSIRO. These non-dilutive grants are in addition to $930,000 awarded to these biotechs in the first funding round, CUREator said.
CSIRO’s Professor Branwen Morgan said CSIRO was delighted to support Spritz-OM on its research translation journey that “ultimately will help mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance on society”.
“We need to protect and preserve the power of our life-saving antibiotics,” she said. “To achieve this it’s important we reduce the need for antibiotics – through infection prevention that includes appropriate vaccination – as well as by ensuring the right antibiotic for the right infection is used at the right time to optimise its effectiveness.”
“CSIRO is delighted to support Spritz-OM and Clinical Branches on their research translation journey that ultimately will help mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance on society.”
Dr Chris Nave, Brandon BioCatalyst co-founder and managing director, said: “CUREator’s top-up funding model is designed to accelerate high-performing projects.
“By providing timely, targeted follow up funding, CUREator helps bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and investor-ready progress, ensuring promising biotechs can maintain momentum.”
Globally, otitis media is the main reason children are prescribed antibiotics and undergo surgery with treatment costing $500 million a year in Australia and $7.6 billion annually in the United States.
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