Amferia, a Mölndal-based medtech company specializing in antimicrobial healthcare solutions, has secured €1.2 million in an oversubscribed investment round led by Chalmers Ventures, alongside new investors. This funding will accelerate the clinical development of Amferia’s innovative hydrogel platform, which is designed to combat resistant bacterial infections by utilizing antimicrobial peptides. The company will also use the funds to advance regulatory approvals for human health applications and to establish strategic partnerships for market entry. Amferia has already made strides in the animal health sector with a commercial agreement with Orkla Wound Care, marking the beginning of its commercialization journey.
Amferia focuses on developing antimicrobial solutions to address the critical issue of resistant bacterial infections. Originating from research at Chalmers University of Technology, the company has created a hydrogel platform that employs antimicrobial peptides to target bacteria, including those resistant to antibiotics. Amferia’s technology has been initially applied to wound care for animals and is now being explored for use in human health. The company is working on securing regulatory approvals and expanding the potential applications of its technology to contribute to the ongoing fight against antibiotic resistance.
“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 need for antibiotics,” says Anand Rajasekharan, CEO and co-founder of Amferia.
“Antibiotics are 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 in the near future, 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.
“We believe this investment will help Amferia advance its hydrogel platform and bring it to the market for human use. A portion of the funds will be allocated towards regulatory and post-regulatory work for human use. It will also help Amferia form new strategic partnerships to ensure a smooth market entry,” says Jonas Bergman, Investment Director at Chalmers Ventures.
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Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/amferia-raises-e1-2m/
