Amferia closes €1,2 million investment to combat resistant bacterial infections
"Bacterial infections are likely to surpass cancer and heart disease as a number one cause of human deaths in the future..."
Amferia, a Swedish medtech company focused on developing innovative antimicrobial healthcare solutions, announces the successful closure of a 1.2-million-euro investment round. The round was over prescribed and spearheaded by existing owners and new investors.
The funding will support the advancement of clinical development within Human Health and further the commercialization of Amferia’s pipeline built on its proprietary platform, designed to protect and utilize antimicrobial peptides to combat bacterial infections. Amferia has already entered the animal health segment and signed commercial agreements with leading animal health companies in Europe such as Orkla Wound Care AB and Biokema SA, to introduce a wound dressing that also kills resistant bacteria.
"Bacterial infections are likely to surpass cancer and heart disease as a number one cause of human deaths in the future, and this is largely due to resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Our hydrogel technology enables the safe and stable use of antimicrobial peptides, allowing them to effectively target bacteria without harming surrounding tissue. Essentially, we are using antimicrobial peptides to mimic the immune system and reduce the unnecessary use for antibiotics," says Anand Rajasekharan, CEO and co-founder of Amferia. “Antibiotics are absolutely essential. Without them, we cannot survive. We aim to support the existing arsenal against bacteria. We need a support system for antibiotics and antimicrobials. Our technology is not about replacing antibiotics but helping healthcare professionals use them more effectively,”
“I am very grateful to our owners for investing in Amferia and in our vision of reducing resistant antimicrobial infections globally. I want to say a big thank you to our existing owners for your continued support as well as welcoming our new investors. We look forward to building the future together.” says Agneta Edberg, chairman of Amferia. “Amferia's first product using our proprietary technology platform is a wound dressing for Animal Health, offering a new solution for treating wounds and preventing infections in veterinary applications. The company aims to launch further products soon, using our platform in Human Health to provide new treatments for patients at risk of skin and wound infections, also resistant, which makes our technology part of the future solutions.”
Antimicrobial peptides are known for their ability to kill bacteria due to their positive electrostatic charge, which attracts the negatively charged bacteria. This allows the peptides to puncture bacterial membranes and destroy the cells. However, their fragility in natural biological environments has been a major challenge, as enzymes in the human body can destroy these peptides within seconds. Amferia’s hydrogel is a flexible solution that can be adapted to applications where killing bacteria is critical—with the added advantage that it kills even resistant bacteria.
Amferia's patented hydrogel platform addresses this challenge by encasing the peptides in a solid gel, keeping them stable. This design protects the peptides from natural enzymes, allowing their bacteria-killing structures to remain active. The hydrogel is applied in wound dressings, meaning it does not have to be ingested, reducing the need for time-consuming clinical trials.
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