NEW START-UP ANIMAB SECURES €3.4M SEED INVESTMENT TO IMPROVE HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE OF LIVESTOCK ANIMALS
Animab, a venture spin-off from VIB, announces today that it has successfully concluded a €3.4M seed financing round. The company develops monoclonal antibodies for oral administration to ensure intestinal health of livestock. The initial focus is on improving the resilience of piglets during the fragile post-weaning period. The start-up will use the seed capital to develop its first oral antibody product for protection against ETEC and initiate a product portfolio for the livestock industry.
Animab builds on a proprietary platform technology enabling efficient generation of monoclonal antibodies to prevent intestinal infections in farm animals. This new class of orally administered antibodies is designed to improve the health and performance of animals by targeting specific disease-causing pathogens.
The monoclonal antibody platform is based on the cross-disciplinary research and expertise within VIB, the leading life sciences research institute based in Flanders, Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Animab’s proprietary antibodies mimic secretory IgA, a type of natural antibodies passed on via the colostrum and milk. In a collaborative effort by VIB and the Ghent University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, these antibodies were further improved and tailored to target specific intestinal pathogens in livestock with speed and precision, without altering the healthy microbiome. Animab will continue to collaborate with these top academic research groups to expand the high precision biologic toolbox for protection of young animals.