21 April 2021 - Novo Seeds, part of Novo Holdings, said it is taking part alongside private investors in a €7 million seed investment into Bactolife, a Danish startup developing novel biological solutions to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections in animals and humans.
Founded in 2017, Bactolife has developed a technology based on nanobodies for management of bacterial virulence without the use of antibiotics. Its platform consists of technology for selecting and producing virulence inactivating proteins (VIP), without targeting growth or killing the bacteria directly. A Bactolife product has already shown efficacy in preventing post-weaning diarrhea (PWD) in piglets.
Aleks Engel, Partner at Novo Holdings commented: “There is an urgent need and immense potential for alternative, non-antibiotic, and cost-effective solutions. We believe that Bactolife is well-positioned to bring to market a new technology that will benefit both animals and humans with low cost of manufacturing and proven efficacy.”
Mads Laustsen, CEO of Bactolife, also said: “To overcome the problem with antimicrobial resistance, there is an urgent need for alternatives to antibiotics. At Bactolife, we have shown that our novel anti-virulence technology is a safe and efficient anti-microbial approach to which pathogens should not evolve resistance. If successful, Bactolife’s pipeline will pave the way for an entirely new paradigm for supporting the microbiome against pathogenic organisms. Our technology would be applicable to the animal feed and human dietary supplement segments. We welcome Novo Holdings as a leading international investor to join Bactolife’s journey.”