Swiss-based LimmaTech Biologics raises €35M to combat emerging antimicrobial resistance

Zurich-based LimmaTech Biologics AG, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, announced on Monday, October 9, that it has secured $37M (approximately €35M) in a Series A round of funding. 

The investment was co-led by Adjuvant Capital, AXA IM Alts, and the Novo Holdings REPAIR Impact Fund.

With this deal, Kabeer Aziz from Adjuvant Capital, Zina Affas Besse, PhD, from AXA IM Alts, and Camilla Petrycer Hansen, PhD, from Novo Holdings. will join LimmaTech’s Board of Directors.

Aziz says, “Each of the firms co-leading this financing is dedicated to using venture capital investments to support bold and innovative companies like LimmaTech that are developing technologies with the potential to generate significant improvements in global public health.”

“Given the deadly threat posed by increasingly treatment-resistant pathogens, and the enormous scale of the problem, vaccines targeting these indications represent highly attractive commercial markets as well,” adds Aziz.

About Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

AMR is a severe global health crisis, causing around 5 million deaths annually. Children under five years old account for almost one million of these deaths, with these numbers increasing rapidly.

Historically, antibiotics have effectively treated bacterial infections, but their inappropriate and excessive use has led to bacteria developing natural resistance. Consequently, once easily treatable infections have become nearly impossible to cure. 

For instance, half of the 700,000 annual gonorrhoea infections in the US are already antibiotic-resistant, posing a significant threat. Similar concerns extend to infections like Shigella, which causes 450,000 infections in the US and 700,000 deaths globally each year, especially affecting children. 

The development of vaccines targeting multidrug-resistant pathogens is crucial to combat this deadly global health threat, given the slow pace of discovering new antibiotics compared to the rapid growth of AMR.

Better technology for better health

Founded in 2015, LimmaTech Biologics, a spin-off from GlycoVaxyn following its acquisition by GSK, specialises in developing advanced vaccines to combat life-threatening diseases.

With a focus on addressing the rising global threat of infections due to emerging antimicrobial resistance, including diseases like gonorrhoea, LimmaTech is advancing its proprietary clinical pipeline. 

The company is dedicated to translating scientific concepts into highly effective vaccines, aiming to benefit humanity.

Capital utilisation

LimmaTech Biologics says it will use the funds to advance its technology platform and speed up the development of preclinical and clinical vaccine candidates targeting bacterial infections like shigellosis and gonorrhoea.

LimmaTech will particularly focus on its Shigella vaccine programme, developed in collaboration with GSK and recently exclusively in-licensed. Preliminary results from the ongoing Phase 2 clinical trial for the Shigella programme are expected to be announced in the latter half of 2023.

In its next phase of growth, LimmaTech has appointed Dr. Franz-Werner Haas as CEO, a distinguished leader in the biotech industry.

Dr. Franz-Werner Haas says, “Within the next decade, multiple bacterial infections will become untreatable due to antimicrobial resistance, which is already a significant burden on global health.”

“By advancing our innovative technology platform, LimmaTech has the potential to simultaneously provide vaccine-induced protection against bacterial infections, mitigate the increasing risk of antibiotic resistance, and move toward the control of several highly transmissible pathogens.”

“Our Series A with backing from highly experienced and strategic institutional investors reflects the increasing value of our technology and our achievements to date. With this support and our team of proven experts in bacterial vaccine development and manufacturing, we look forward to providing life-changing vaccines to address a major global medical need.”