Image credits: Bactolife
Copenhagen-based Bactolife, a startup that specialises in gut microbiome health, announced on Tuesday that it has secured $5M (approximately €5M) from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The company says it will use the capital to accelerate the development of Binding Proteins, a novel biologic solution to reduce the risk of gut infections in humans and animals.
Mads Laustsen, CEO at Bactolife, says, “With this investment, Bactolife can boost our efforts in our technology platform, allowing us to reach our end customers faster and with affordable products that benefit the many – thereby potentially impacting millions of people’s lives worldwide.”
What does Bactolife solve?
Globally, there are more than 1.6B cases of diarrheal diseases annually, which at best means stomach upsets. But at worst, they can lead to life-threatening illnesses.
An estimated 760,000 children die annually from gut infections, claims the company.
Currently, most infections are treated with antibiotics that are either very expensive or contribute to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, says Bactolife.
The Danish company is taking a unique approach to gut health by developing Binding Proteins that can reduce the risk of developing gut infections at an affordable price.
With its technology and the latest investment, Binding Proteins can be formulated into food and feed products, making them easy to ingest.
How was Bactolife born?
In 2016, father and son duo Mads Laustsen and Andreas Laustsen-Kiel went on a family vacation.
At that time, they talked about how they could fuse Andreas’ idea and research in toxin neutralisation from snake bites with Mads’ experience in industrial biomanufacturing enzymes and therapeutic proteins. This led them to the idea of supporting the body against gut infections in a new and affordable way.
To realise this idea into action, Mads and Andreas invited long-term colleagues Per Falholt, Sandra Wingaard Thrane, and David Kauffman to join them in their venture.
They founded Bactolife in 2017 with the mission to develop binding proteins to help maintain healthy microbiomes in humans and animals.
Bactolife: What you need to know
Bactolife uses its proprietary Binding Protein technology to develop novel biological solutions to strengthen the gut microbiome and help solve the challenge of antimicrobial resistance development and the general burden of infectious diseases.
The company says its proprietary platform comprises technology for selecting and producing Binding Proteins without directly targeting growth or killing bacteria.
Sebastian Søderberg, Deputy CEO at Bactolife, says, “We are proud of and humble for the confidence the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has shown us. We are pleased to receive funding from Novo Holdings and the Gates Foundation. We consider this a strong validation of Bactolife’s potential to improve human and animal health worldwide and make these products accessible in developed and developing countries.”
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