Unifund invests in biotech company PrecisionPhage, developer of phage technology
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a serious health risk and various treatments rely on the effectiveness of antibiotics.
“However, resistance to antibiotics is increasing and healthcare sometimes encounter bacterial pathogens against which none of the antibiotics are effective,” says the CEO of PrecisionPhage Matti Jalasvuori.
There is an alternative to antibiotics: bacteriophages are viruses that kill bacteria but are harmless to humans. They are generally specific to particular bacterial strains, which means that the bacteriophages to be used in treatment have to be selected carefully for each case. Hence, the effective use of phages requires precision medicine approach where the treatment is tailored individually instead of attempting to use the same drug for all cases.
In recent years, phage technology, related diagnostics as well as the regulative standards of this field have taken leaps forward. The universities of Jyväskylä and Helsinki have long pursued research in phages and in some cases provided phages for emergency treatments.
PrecisionPhage was founded to support wider international utilisation of bacteriophages.
“We have European partners with whom we are aiming at providing phage treatments as part of standard health care,” Jalasvuori describes. “There are applications outside human treatment as well, for example in animal husbandry where the prophylactic use of antibiotics is prohibited in Europe. Our company operates in a broadly around this technology.”
“Unifund believes that the PrecisionPhage’s business idea offers major opportunities to help solve this important global problem,” says Managing Director Vesa Kupari. “PrecisionPhage has promising prospects as the market is opening up to new forms of medical treatment alongside antibiotics.”
Vice Rector Henrik Kunttu, who is responsible for research and innovation activities at the Ģֱ, is pleased that the results achieved in the university’s high-quality research are transferred to business assets. He sees this development as increasing the university’s contribution to solving big global problems.
Further information:
Matti Jalasvuori, tel. +358 50 413 5092, Email: matti.jalasvuori@jyu.fi
Vesa Kupari, tel. +358 40 061 6940, Email: vesa.kupari@jyu.fi
Unifund: An investment company established by the Ģֱ. Unifund Jyväskylä Oy invests in start-ups whose business is based on the utilisation of immaterial property rights or research results produced at JYU.