Biotechnology company smartbax has announced it has raised €4.7 million to advance a novel antibiotic compound through preclinical stage. 

The pre-Series A financing round was led by new investors Anobis Asset and Bayern Kapital, with participation from UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators as well as existing investors. 

The financing will support the progression of smartbax’s pipeline of small-molecule antibiotics designed to overcome bacterial resistance with innovative approaches and novel mechanisms of action. The lead candidate is 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. 

The new inhibitor has already demonstrated in vivo proof of concept, including activity against multi-drug-resistant strains, shows potential as an orally available drug, and will now be advanced through preclinical development. 

The company also plans to advance its platform of small-molecule activators of bacterial hydrolases. Rather than inhibiting bacterial functions like traditional antibiotics, these compounds stimulate hydrolase activity, causing bacteria to digest themselves from within.  

The innovative method has not been exploited in commercial antibiotics to date and offers a promising strategy to overcome established resistance mechanisms. These candidates will be further developed by smartbax towards lead selection and in vivo proof of concept using current funds. 

“Small-molecule antibiotics remain one of the most effective tools in combating the rapidly growing threat of antimicrobial resistance,” said Dr Robert Macsics, CEO of smartbax. “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.” 

“Our programmes focus on WHO priority pathogens and aim to provide new treatment options for critically ill patients who currently have limited alternatives. We are delighted to have assembled such a strong consortium of investors who share our commitment to addressing this urgent public health threat.” 


Bruno Quinney, Content Team, DDW