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Nearly every child experiences at least one middle ear infection (otitis media, OM) by age two, with one in four facing recurrent or chronic disease leading to high antibiotic use, hearing loss and multiple surgeries. The main OM causing pathogen is nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi), for which there are no licensed preventative therapies. Treatment of otitis media (antibiotics and surgery) is often infective, and infection persists. To address this, we are developing two novel therapies: Spritz-OM and Blitz-OM. Spritz-OM is a nasal bacterial vaccine designed to prevent OM in children, promoting a healthy, antibiotic-free start to life. Blitz-OM is an antibiofilm therapy designed to treat chronic otitis media with effusion, allowing antibiotics to work effectively the first time to prevent repeat infection and reduce the need for repeat OM surgery.

In this talk I will give an overview of the research discoveries and clinical trials that have led to the development of these therapies, their proposed mechanisms of action, and the path to market. These therapies have the potential to improve child health outcomes throughout the world and significantly reduce antibiotic use to help curb the rise in antimicrobial resistance.