In a matter of a few months, a Cheektowaga research institution has put itself on the medical research map by winning two federal contracts that together could be worth more than $100 million to develop new antibiotics.

The contracts for CUBRC -- which originally formed as the Calspan-University at Buffalo Research Center -- represent continuing progress in the growth of biotechnology companies in the Buffalo area, officials said Friday.

"This is a major boom to the research already going on here," said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, at an event to highlight the contracts at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus.

"What you are seeing emerge here is a whole new economy in the life sciences," said Rep. Brian Higgins, D-Buffalo.

The contracts call for development of antibiotics to potentially treat illnesses caused by such biological threats as anthrax and plague, as well as such common life-threatening bacterial infections as pneumonia.

Officials credited Higgins and Slaughter with helping obtain the contracts for CUBRC, potentially $36 million over five years from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and $67.2 million from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority.

In each of the contracts, CUBRC will develop an tetrcycline-class antibiotic both for bioterrorism and public health in partnership with Tetraphase Pharmaceutics, a fairly new and small company in Watertown, Mass., that discovered two promising compounds.

One contract is for $11.4 million in the first year, and the other commits funding of $5.8 million initially. Both contracts include options that could bring the total to more than $100 million.

The federal Health and Human Services Department's Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority, or BARDA, is responsible for developing vaccines, drugs, tests and other treatments to ensure public safety.

It was originally established to focus on bioterrorism, but there is growing concern over bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics used in medicine, a problem related to their overuse.

An estimated 99,000 deaths associated with infections occur in hospitals alone each year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And, infections that previously were found only in hospitals have begun to turn up as outbreaks in communities.

Adding to the concern, pharmaceutical companies have been withdrawing from antibiotic development because of the low profits.

Experts have urged the government to take steps to spur development of new antibiotics, including strengthening of the Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority, which expanded its scope in recent years to include drug research for the public, not just defense.

The larger CUBRC contract is the fifth awarded through a Biomedical Advanced Research Development Authority program. BARDA's Broad Broad Spectrum Antimicrobials program.

CUBRC, too, until now has focused its health-related work on defense projects. Officials described its competition for the new contracts as a "swing for the fences."

"This was an incredible team effort and will build our credentials for the future," said Thomas McMahon, president and chief executive officer.

Drug development is a complex endeavor that requires years of studies to show safety and efficacy. CUBRC will act as the coordinator of the project, which is likely to include about 20 subcontractors, said Anne Radcliff, director of CUBRC's biological and medical sciences group.

Although the new compounds are aimed at an assortment of bacteria, clinical trials will focus one, known as TP-271, on lung infections and the other, TP-434, on abdominal infections. As an example of the magnitude of the work, Radcliff said, the studies for pneumonia must take place globally to account for the way the disease spreads.

"Historically, the country has dealt with bio-threats one at a time. This drug will be effective against all sorts of bacteria, and it looks very promising," she said.

Because much of the work is done by subcontractors, officials have said the contracts will result in only about 12 to 15 new hires by CUBRC.

hdavis@buffnews.comnull