Munich-based biotech company smartbax announced the successful first closing of its €4.7 million Pre-Series A financing round, marking a significant milestone in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The round was led by new investors Anobis Asset and Bayern Kapital, with participation from UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators and existing investors HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund.
The funding will accelerate development of smartbax's proprietary pipeline of small-molecule antibiotics designed to overcome bacterial resistance through innovative approaches and novel mechanisms of action. The company is advancing two distinct therapeutic platforms that address the urgent need for new antibiotics against WHO priority pathogens.
Lead Compound Targets Novel Bacterial Pathway
Smartbax's lead candidate represents a breakthrough in antibiotic development, functioning as an inhibitor that blocks a previously unexplored step in the synthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS), key structural components of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria. This novel inhibitor has already demonstrated in vivo proof of concept, including activity against multi-drug resistant strains, and shows potential as an orally available drug.
The compound will now advance through preclinical development using the current funding, representing a significant step forward in addressing infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria, which are notoriously difficult to treat due to their protective outer membrane.
Revolutionary Self-Digestion Mechanism
In parallel, smartbax is developing an unprecedented platform of small-molecule activators of bacterial hydrolases. Unlike traditional antibiotics that inhibit bacterial functions, these compounds stimulate hydrolase activity, causing bacteria to digest themselves from within. This innovative mode of action has not been exploited in commercial antibiotics to date and offers a promising strategy to overcome established resistance mechanisms.
The company has identified two activator classes effective against different targets in Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Both classes display encouraging drug-like properties, demonstrate the ability to eliminate biofilms, and show no development of resistance. The current funding will support further development of these candidates toward lead selection and in vivo proof of concept studies.
Addressing Critical Medical Need
The urgency of developing new antibiotics is underscored by alarming statistics on antimicrobial resistance. According to Martin Falk, managing director at Anobis Asset, "In Germany alone, nearly 10,000 people die each year as a direct consequence of infections with multi-drug resistant bacteria; many more are hospitalized and often face lengthy recovery times."
Dr. Robert Macsics, CEO of smartbax, emphasized the company's unique position in the German biotech landscape: "Small-molecule antibiotics remain one of the most effective tools in combating the rapidly growing threat of antimicrobial resistance. smartbax is currently the only German biotech dedicated exclusively to developing these crucial tools, and we are proud to advance complementary approaches with both a classical inhibitor against a novel target and enzyme activators with a truly novel mode of action in the antibiotic realm."
Strong Investor Consortium
The financing round attracted a consortium of investors with deep expertise in healthcare and life sciences. Monika Steger, Managing Partner at Bayern Kapital, highlighted the dual significance of the investment: "smartbax is tackling this problem with two novel drug approaches that are already showing great potential at their current stage. At the same time, the market for new antibiotics is opening up a highly attractive growth area with great economic opportunities."
Inga vom Holtz, Director Investments at UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators, praised the company's evolution from academic research to focused biotech enterprise: "smartbax has grown from academic research into a biotech company with a clear focus on antibiotic innovation. We are pleased to join this financing round and to support a team that is advancing both classical inhibitors and entirely new antibacterial mechanisms with enzyme activators."
Company Background and Future Outlook
Founded in 2021 as a spin-off from the Technical University Munich, smartbax has built its expertise around developing antibiotics that add true value for patients worldwide. The company's complementary pipeline targets both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with particular focus on difficult-to-treat biofilms that represent a significant clinical challenge.
With a second closing of the funding round remaining open to investors, smartbax is positioned to advance its innovative antibiotic candidates through critical preclinical milestones, potentially offering new hope for patients facing infections with limited treatment alternatives.
