Eligo Bioscience, a Paris-based life sciences firm spun out of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Rockefeller University, has raised €2m ($2.2m) in its series A.
The round, led by investor Seventure, will go towards the commercialisation of Eligo’s ultraprecise antibiotics. The drugs, dubbed eligobiotics, target just harmful bacteria while leaving useful bacteria intact.
Treatments for bacteria infections currently wipe out all bacteria, both harmful and useful. This can lead to future complications as killing off useful bacteria can cause health problems down the line, and is contributing to bacteria becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Xavier Duportet, CEO at Eligo Bioscience, said: “We are really excited since this is the first time we have a tool to edit the microbiome with such specificity. This investment will not only help us develop 2 lead candidates but also to develop our microbiome editing platform to go beyond the treatment of infectious disease.”
