U. Porto spin-off IMMUNETHEP receives investment of 2 million dollars
Investor consortium CARB-X will support IMMUNETHEP in the development of a vaccine against invasive E.coli infections.
IMMUNETHEP, a spin-off company from the University of Porto, recently raised 2 million dollars in funding from CARB-X, a consortium of investors (including governments and private foundations) that aims to accelerate the discovery of new innovative anti-infective products. The funding will support the development of a vaccine against invasive E.coli infections.
E.coli is one of the main causes of bloodstream infections, such as sepsis, meningitis, and other life-threatening conditions, especially in vulnerable populations. At the same time, the increase in resistance to antibiotics makes the development of effective preventive solutions even more urgent, and this is one of IMMUNETHEP's missions, through the creation of vaccines.
The work of the U.Porto spin-off, based on research carried out at the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS), caught the attention of CARB-X. Contact with the consortium began a few years ago, but has been more active over the last year. It has only now come to fruition because there was a need to "direct the technology to meet the objectives set by CARB-X”, say those responsible at IMMUNETHEP.
"We have developed a vaccine that acts by blocking a protein called GAPDH, released by some bacteria to weaken our immune system. When this protein enters our bloodstream, it can increase the risk of infections, including those caused by E.coli, one of the most difficult to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics. As the aim of the CARB-X project is to create a vaccine against E.coli, we adjusted our formula to specifically target the version of this protein,” says Pedro Madureira, researcher and CSO at IMMUNETHEP.
The company feels very fulfilled to be part of a "highly competitive programme that allows not only access to significant investment but also to an international network of experts who help at every stage of a pharmaceutical's development,” stated IMMUNETHEP in an official statement.
IMMUNETHEP will now "continue with the development of one or more formulations for other pathogenic bacteria that also pose a high risk to public health”. "In addition to the vaccine - which is a preventive strategy - we are also developing treatments based on monoclonal antibodies that can be administered after infection. And we are continuing our research activity in order to increase the capacity of our products to prevent or treat infections,” the company concluded.
