Smartbax raises €6.3M to push antibiotic to IND filing
What's the deal? Smartbax, a Munich biotech developing antibiotics against multi-drug resistant bacteria, has closed a second tranche of its Pre-Series A, bringing the round to €6.3 million. The new capital came from a Frankfurt-based single family office.
Who's backing it? The existing syndicate includes Anobis Asset, Bayern KapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, HTGF — High-Tech GründerfondsDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators.
What's the endgame? The proceeds will advance the company's lead antibacterial program — recently in-licensed from Aicuris — through preclinical development and IND filing. The small-molecule drug targets an unexploited step in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharides, a key component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria.
The program has shown in vivo proof of concept, including activity against multi-drug resistant pathogens, and potential for oral bioavailability.
What else? Smartbax will also advance its proprietary pipeline, including two activator programs that stimulate bacterial hydrolases to trigger bacterial self-digestion. The programs target both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens and, so far, show biofilm eradication activity and no observed resistance development.
Why it matters: "This second closing provides the resources to advance our lead program through IND filing, which will mark an important step in the maturation of our pipeline," said chief executive officer Robert Macsics.
Spun out of the Technical University MunichDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in 2021, smartbax is building a complementary set of small molecules aimed at novel bacterial targets to prevent resistance.
The signal: With antimicrobial resistance a mounting global health threat, smartbax's dual approach — inhibiting bacterial synthesis and triggering self-digestion — reflects growing investor appetite for novel-mechanism antibiotics that sidestep existing resistance.
Image credit: theglobalpanorama
