The startup Akthelia Pharmaceuticals and the University of Iceland are leading a project that has received a €6 million grant (nearly ISK 900 million) from the European Union. Akthelia Pharmaceuticals is part of the New Business Venture Fund’s portfolio, with the Fund first investing in the company in 2008.
The project, called IN-ARMOR, focuses on developing new drugs that enhance the body’s natural immune defenses, thereby countering the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
A total of nine universities and research institutions and seven companies across nine European countries are participating in the project.
“The project addresses the significant danger posed by increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which the World Health Organization has identified as one of the world’s ten greatest health challenges,” the announcement states.
It further notes that bacterial resistance to major groups of antibiotics is estimated to cause five million deaths annually, and there is fear of a global pandemic should strains emerge that are resistant to all antibiotics. “There is therefore a need for new ways to fight infections in the human body, and Akthelia’s technology and methods can play a vital role in this.”
The full article can be read at mbl.is
