Armata Pharmaceuticals publishes phage biology study in molecular journal

Armata Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE American: ARMP) announced the publication of a peer-reviewed paper in the Journal of Molecular Biology examining the structural biology of a bacteriophage used in its clinical pipeline.

The paper, titled "Insights into Genome Ejection by a Therapeutic phiKMV-like Bacteriophage," presents a structural analysis of Ar-KM, a phage that targets Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Ar-KM is a component of Armata's AP-PA02 program, an inhaled bacteriophage candidate that has completed Phase 2 clinical studies in cystic fibrosis and non-CF bronchiectasis patients with chronic pulmonary P. aeruginosa infection.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, proteomics, and bioinformatics, researchers captured three distinct states of the phage particle and built atomic models for eleven structural proteins at near-atomic resolution. The study identifies an enzyme activity that assists the phage in penetrating the bacterial cell envelope and characterizes a previously unrecognized protein involved in genome delivery into the bacterium.

The research was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Gino Cingolani, Anderson Family Endowed Chair and Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, who served as senior author.

"Stability before infection and efficient genome delivery at the point of infection are fundamental characteristics of a viable phage therapeutic, and this work provides important new insight into how Ar-KM can achieve both," said Dr. Deborah Birx, Chief Executive Officer of Armata and co-author of the paper.

Armata said the publication is the fourth from its collaboration with Dr. Cingolani's group and the fourth characterizing its Pseudomonas aeruginosa phages. The company stated it is extending the work to cryo-electron microscopy reconstruction of its Staphylococcus aureus phages.

The full paper is published in the Journal of Molecular Biology (J Mol Biol. 2026 Nov 1; 438(21):169993).

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