Munich-based m4 Award winner smartbax has successfully expanded its pre-Series A funding round to a total of 6.3 million euros. With the additional capital, the biotech company plans to further develop its leading antibiotic program through the submission of an Investigational New Drug (IND) application, while also expanding its proprietary pipeline of innovative drug candidates against multidrug-resistant bacteria.
Following the first closing of its funding round last year, which raised EUR 4.7 million, smartbax has now secured additional funding from a Frankfurt-based single-family office. This brings the total amount of its Pre-Series A funding to EUR 6.3 million. In addition to the new investor, smartbax is supported by a consortium of investors consisting of Anobis Asset, Bayern Kapital, Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds and UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators.
Flagship program on track for clinical trials
With the additional funding, smartbax intends to further develop its most advanced antibiotic program through to IND filing. The drug candidate, which was recently in-licensed from AiCuris, targets a step in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) – a key component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria – that has not yet been exploited therapeutically.
The program has already demonstrated in vivo efficacy, including against multidrug-resistant pathogens, and also shows potential for oral administration. The funding will now enable the completion of preclinical development and the transition to clinical preparation.
At the same time, smartbax is continuing to develop its proprietary pipeline of small-molecule antibiotics. This includes two programs that activate bacterial hydrolases, thereby triggering a novel mechanism of bacterial self-digestion. The drug candidates target Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens and have so far demonstrated promising drug properties, efficacy against biofilms, and no observed development of resistance.
Dr. Robert Macsics, CEO of smartbax, said: “This second closing provides the resources to advance our lead program through IND filing, which will mark an important step in the maturation of our pipeline. At the same time, we continue to invest in our proprietary enzymatic activators, which represent a fundamentally different approach to combating bacterial infections. Together, these programs support our mission to address the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.”
Successful development based on m4 Award
smartbax's innovations have their origins at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The start-up was founded in 2021 by Dr. Robert Macsics, Marco Janezic and Prof. Dr. Stephan Sieber and supported by initial start-up funding of EUR 700,000 from the BIVF. The scientific foundations of the company are based on research results of Prof. Dr. Sieber's working group. His project aBacter was awarded the m4 Award which is funded every other year with EUR 2.5 million by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy and coordinated by BioM.