Medical spin-out with potential to save millions of lives globally gets £4.3 million injection

A spin-out company from the universities of Glasgow and Oxford has raised £4.3 million in seed funding to help develop precision antibiotic therapies.

The University of Glasgow is recognised as one of the city skyline's most distinctive buildings.

Glox Therapeutics will use the capital injection to establish laboratories in Glasgow and Oxford and expand its team to accelerate its bacteriocin development programme. The investment round was led by Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Scottish Enterprise.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major public health crisis throughout the world. It is estimated that almost 1.3 million people per year die as a result of AMR due to the therapeutic failure of available antibiotics. By 2050, AMR is predicted to surpass ten million deaths globally per year.

Glox is developing precision antibiotics utilising engineered protein bacteriocins. It aims to advance the field of antimicrobial therapy by overcoming resistance to traditional antibiotics. The fledgling company was founded in February by recognised leaders in the bacteriocin field - Professor Daniel Walker from the University of Glasgow (now at the University of Strathclyde) and Prof Colin Kleanthous, fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences, from the University of Oxford. James Clark was appointed as chief executive in April this year. He has been involved in precision medicine for 25 years.

Clark said: “Our mission is to provide physicians and patients with highly potent, targeted antimicrobial therapies that can kill antibiotic-resistant bacteria for which there are diminishing options available for treatment.

“This seed funding is testament to the promise of Glox Therapeutics’ precise antibiotic therapies, and we are thrilled to have the backing of such high-calibre investors. This will enable us to establish laboratories and attract top-tier talent, and I’m delighted to lead the team as we embark on our pioneering bacteriocin development programme.”

Uzma Khan of the University of Glasgow said: “Bacteriocins offer the precision needed to target pathogens resistant to current treatments. Our novel platform, developed in collaboration with the University of Oxford, circumvents problems traditionally associated with using bacteriocins as therapeutics.”

Kerry Sharp, director of entrepreneurship and investment, Scottish Enterprise, added: “Glox Therapeutics is a fantastic example of an ambitious spin-out that’s commercialising world-class life sciences research with the potential to save lives worldwide.”