Partner Article

Treatments for life-threatening infections win £75,000 investment

Antibacterial research and development firm, Abgentis, has won £75,000 from Midven’s Early Advantage fund. The Birmingham-based business creates new drugs for bacterial infections that have previously resisted treatment. Life-threatening infections will be combated by a compound called novobiocin, which Abgentis is currently modifying, and was used in the 1960s before it was replaced by more competitive drugs. The fund will be used in three sections to establish proof of concept for the company’s research. Midven’s Early Advantage Fund puts money behind business products from early-stage and medium-sized firms, as well as early start-ups with rapid growth.

Lloyd Czaplewski, founder of Abgentis, said perceptions around novobiocin are changing, which has allowed for new investigations into its usage. He explained: “The clinical landscape has changed … There is resistance to these replacements and more recent clinical evaluation of novobiocin in oncology confirms that it is well tolerated in man. Antibiotics have been a low priority for development over the last decade but the clinical need is increasing with wide-spread drug-resistance, an ageing population and new markets in developing countries.”

Private investment into the company has been prompted by Midven’s fund, and the cash will be used to develop a pre-clinical proof-of-concept package to present to pharmaceutical companies. Recent addition to the Abgentis board, and Director of the Early Advantage Fund, Dr Andrew Muir, said: “Lloyd has an excellent understanding of the technology and needs in the field of novel antibacterials and our funding will enable the company to validate its novel approach. “

Abgentis is based at the Birmingham Research Park, where the treatments will be developed. The Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College at the University of Birmingham’s Medical Sciences department, Professor Lawrence Young, added: “The University of Birmingham is very pleased to be hosting Abgentis on the Birmingham Research Park. This will provide exciting opportunities to develop collaborative projects that build on the excellent platforms developed by Abgentis and on our world-leading research on microbiology and infection”.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .