, an award-winning drug discovery spin-out from the University of Cambridge, has raised £300k in pre-seed funding to advance the development of its novel anti-biofilm compounds.
вʿª½± Fellow is Scientific Director of BioTryp Therapeutics, which launched early in 2024, is founded on more than eight years of research at the University of Cambridge. Its technology aims to tackle the global problem of biofilm-associated infections. 60-80% of bacterial infections manifest as biofilms, whose complex structure protects the constituent bacteria from both antibiotics and the host immune system, making infections difficult to treat. Biofilms often act as a reservoir of pathogenic bacteria and hence are drivers of recurrent infections. This is a particular challenge in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs), which affect 400 million people annually across the globe, with a high rate of recurrence.
This funding marks an important milestone for the company and will be used to progress BioTryp’s medicinal chemistry programme. It will facilitate essential chemistry and testing to identify the most promising compounds to be taken further into pre-clinical development. On the commercial side, the funding will allow engagement with pharma, regulators and development bodies to ensure successful progress throughout pre-clinical and clinical trials.
The support from QUBIS Innovation Fund, Parkwalk Advisors and Cambridge Enterprise Ventures follows over £1million in grant funding that supported the background research at the University of Cambridge.
Read the full story on the BioTryp website:
Read about Dr Summers' research in a May 2022 interview on the College website:
Pictured: BioTryp Therapeutics’ founding team, including (from left to right), Dr David Summers (Scientific Director), Dr Ashraf Zarkan (CEO), and Dr Jehangir Cama (Commercial Director).
