Novo Seeds, the early-stage investment and company creation team of Novo Holdings, is leading a €7 million seed investment into BactolifeTM, a Danish startup developing novel biological solutions to reduce the risk of gastrointestinal infections in animals and humans alongside existing private investors.
Founded in 2017, Bactolife has developed a technology based on nanobodies for the management of bacterial virulence without the use of antibiotics. Its proprietary platform consists of technology for selecting and producing virulence inactivating proteins (VIPTM), without targeting growth or killing the bacteria directly. VIPs are stable and highly cost-effective and can be produced on large scale using state-of-the-art systems for biomanufacturing.
Anti-virulence products are of great interest to the AMR field as these have the potential to reduce pathogenicity without creating a driver for antibiotic resistance. Bactolife’s technology can lower the use of antimicrobials in both humans and animals in a cost-effective manner, addressing the urgent need for alternative strategies for the management of gastrointestinal infections that have a huge economic impact both in terms of productivity in animal production, and the burden of AMR on the health care system.
Bactolife’s first product Ablacto+ has shown efficacy in preventing post-weaning diarrhea in piglets. This product will enable farmers to provide better piglet health, lower the risk and speed of antimicrobial resistance development, and support sustainable agriculture and aquaculture in line with the WHO’s One Health Strategy.
