Flanders-based startup Obulytix gets funding from Boehringer Ingelheim (DE) for new antibiotics
Obulytix, an up-and-coming startup from Flanders, is making headway in the creation of a new generation of antibiotics. This innovative endeavor, supported by German pharmaceutical powerhouse Boehringer Ingelheim, offers a glimmer of hope in the battle against bacterial resistance.
The impending danger of bacterial resistance
The World Health Organization reports that over a million healthy individuals die annually from untreatable bacterial infections due to increasing bacterial resistance to existing antibiotics. If no new drugs are developed, this number could skyrocket to 10 million by 2050. Obulytix’s CEO, Yves Briers, cautions that the entire health system is at stake as antibiotics are also used to ward off infections during procedures like organ transplants.
Financial hurdles and triumphs
Despite the financial hurdles faced by biotech companies, Obulytix has managed to raise 4 million euros in its initial funding round, with Boehringer Ingelheim as the primary financier. Investment funds Gemma Frisius and Qbic have also hopped on board.
A novel approach to tackling bacteria
Briers has dedicated nearly two decades to devising a new method to tackle bacteria, based on bacteriophages. This groundbreaking approach could hold the key to combating the escalating threat of bacterial resistance.
Thriving in Flanders’ life sciences & health ecosystem
Obulytix is one of the many startups that make Flanders’ ecosystem for life sciences & health so successful. Want to unravel this ecosystem? Head to the Flanders360 platform and discover 300+ successful companies, universities, R&D centers and other players active in Flanders’ life sciences & health industry.
Reported by
De Tijd Newspaper
