All over the Nordics the innovative power is gearing up to put new products, therapies, and preventive measures on the market that will tackle Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from various angles. Who are the people behind these innovations and why are they committed to work ungodly hours to fight what has been referred to as a ‘silent pandemic’?

Christian Grøndahl, co-founder & CEO, SNIPR Biome

Christian Grøndahl, co-founder and CEO, SNIPR Biome

How can your company’s solution help tackle AMR?  

“SNIPR Biome is developing SNIPR001, which is a CRISPR-medicine targeting MDR E. coli. SNIPR001 is developed both as an oral prophylactic treatment to reducing the risk of Blood Stream Infections for Cancer patients undergoing Hematopoietic stem cell transplantations.”

What obstacles are you facing that prevent your solution to gain a greater impact? 

“The biggest obstacle is the perceived broken marked for new antibiotics. SNIPR0001 is however targeting a niche segment in the cancer market – around 10,000 patients annually and is more of a rare disease / orphan drug type of medicine.”

We believe it is only a matter of time before such drugs will be in very high demand.

You are one of the many entrepreneurs committing your time and energy to break through with your products, can you share your WHY? 

“The CRISPR technology and the experimental CRISPR medicines which can be developed from this technology hold the promise to bring real impactful benefits to patients and society. Our strategy and passion is to discover and develop future CRISPR medicines to tackle AMR and threat life-threatening infections which are very safe, well tolerated, affordable to produce, and which are very effective in precision target the pathogen causing the disease without disturbing the physiological diversity of the microbiome. We believe it is only a matter of time before such drugs will be in very high demand.”

Jens Hansson, Acting CFO & BD, Chairman of the Board, Colzyx 

Jens Hansson, Acting CFO and BD, Chairman of the Board, Colzyx, Photo: Eskil Söderlind

How could your company help tackle AMR? 

“Colzyx has established a patented technology around collagen VI and from that developed a wound dressing, Woundcom, for rapid wound healing of hard-to-heal wounds (a.k.a. chronic wounds). These types of wounds, e.g. venous leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers, are almost always colonized by bacteria and are typically treated with therapies using long courses of antibiotics. Unfortunately, the antibiotics treatment is poorly effective, leading to healing-times of months and years most often. With the number of chronic wound patients measured in tens of millions globally, this of course poses a major risk of causing AMR to occur.”

With the number of chronic wound patients measured in tens of millions globally, this of course poses a major risk of causing AMR to occur.

“Experiments in vivo (porcine) using our product Woundcom confirms that the combination of collagen I and VI accelerates the wound healing of infected wounds dramatically (up to 4 times faster) without the use of antibiotics. Further, in vitro assays on Colzyx’s technology have showed strong antimicrobial effect on all bacterial strains it has been exposed to, also on multi-resistant ones. The wound dressing is formulated using only elements of collagen I and collagen VI, i.e. naturally occurring substances in the human body that have evolved in e.g. mammals over millions of years. The risk of developing antimicrobial resistance towards our technology is therefore low.”

What obstacles are you facing that prevent your solution to gain a greater impact? 

“Colzyx has just launched its wound dressing for rapid wound healing into the veterinarian wound care market for companion animals in the USA and to be followed by the EU. The feedback from the vet clinics have been overwhelmingly positive – both regarding the clinical effect and the way our wound dressing lessens the need for antibiotics, which is a major issue with veterinarians globally. We will now build up a sales and marketing organization to expand our traction in the animal care market and gain greater impact on the AMR scene.”

We are currently in the process of securing additional funding to facilitate the submission of an application to the FDA as a first step towards market access.

“However, to get market access to human care markets we need to get Woundcom FDA-cleared and CE-marked. We are currently in the process of securing additional funding to facilitate the submission of an application to the FDA as a first step towards market access. We will also be needing commercial partners to bring the wound dressings to the patients.”

You are one of the many entrepreneurs committing your time and energy to break through with your products, can you share your WHY? 

“The early results of Colzyx’s collagen VI based technology hold the promise to bring real impactful benefits to patients through improved quality of life and to society through lowered treatment costs. Our everyday passion is to make sure that Colzyx’s products finally reaches its patients to realize that impact – to humans and animals alike.”

Svante Almqvist, Founder & CEO, Phase2Phase Biopharma

Svante Almqvist, Founder and CEO, Phase2Phase Biopharma, Photo: Martin Botvidsson

What are your thoughts on AMR Awareness Week?

“On a personal level, I recognize the emerging challenges associated with AMR. With my family largely dedicated to medicine, I often hear about its impact both in Sweden and globally.”

“In developed countries, over-prescription especially of broad-spectrum antibiotics often aims to maximize treatment, while in developing regions, frequent prescriptions stem from the higher prevalence of severe infections. This makes me realize that AMR knows no borders. Therefore, I believe WHO’s endorsement of a global action plan is key in raising awareness and addressing this issue.”

What challenges do you see within the development of new antibiotics?

“From a CMC- and regulatory standpoint, I do see several challenges stand out. Navigating classifications – whether a product is a medical device under 510(k) or a pharmaceutical – can significantly affect cost and timelines.”

“Developing new antibiotics involves addressing several critical factors, including spectrum of activity (what pathogens does it target?), mechanism of action (how does it kill or inhibit the pathogens?), resistance risks (likelihood of resistance emerging?), and safety and efficacy (ensuring the drug is both safe and effective through rigorous testing).”

“We all know that this is a long and winding road. Fortunately, there are global collaborations like CARB-X and SPIR that provide non-dilutive funding to AMR-related projects, helping to offset some of these challenges.”

How do you view investing in AMR-focused companies versus other indications like oncology, neuro degenerative or orphan indications?

“As an angel investor, Phase2Phase is indication-agnostic. However, investing in companies addressing AMR is a unique opportunity to tackle a global health crisis with strong return potential, particularly as regulatory frameworks and incentives are being put in place to encourage innovation in this space. While oncology, neurodegenerative, and orphan diseases remain critical, AMR’s projected impact – up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050 – underscores its urgency.”

While oncology, neurodegenerative, and orphan diseases remain critical, AMR’s projected impact – up to 10 million deaths annually by 2050 – underscores its urgency.

“We look for high-potential companies with strong science and innovative approaches. We have either invested in or engaged in detailed discussions with several companies in this field, reflecting our strong interest. Examples include Lipum, targeting chronic inflammation via BSSL, with potential ties to AMR (invested), Omnio, developing protein therapies for infection-related inflammation (invested), QureTech Bio, advancing antibiotic alternatives designed to bypass resistance mechanisms, representing a paradigm shift in how we approach bacterial infections (discussing), and Colzyx, developing wound-healing solutions that address infections, a critical aspect of AMR management in chronic wounds (discussing). These companies align well with our vision of supporting high-impact innovations that address clear clinical and market needs.”

World AMR Awareness Week

A global action plan to tackle the growing problem of resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines was endorsed at the 68th World Health Assembly in May 2015. One of the key objectives of the plan is to improve awareness and understanding of AMR through effective communication, education and training. The World AMR Awareness Week takes place 18th to 24th November 2024.

Antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites change over time and no longer respond to medicines, making infections harder to treat and increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness and death. As a result of drug resistance, antibiotics and other antimicrobial medicines become ineffective and infections become increasingly difficult or impossible to treat.