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Evolving Therapeutics spin-off receives private funding from Angels to tackle multidrug-resistant bacteria with phages

  • Science Park
  • January 21st, 2025
Evolving team. From the left, Alonso Felipe Ruiz, Amanda Martínez García, Marisa Domingo Calap, Pilar Domingo Calap
Evolving team. From the left, Alonso Felipe Ruiz, Amanda Martínez García, Marisa Domingo Calap, Pilar Domingo Calap

The investment company Angels has recently allocated €100,000 to Evolving Therapeutics, a spin-off of the University of Valencia dedicated to developing biotechnological solutions based on bacteriophages for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. This capital injection will enable the company to expand its laboratory facilities and increase its staff, consolidating its growth and innovation capacity.

Multidrug-resistant bacteria represent a significant threat to human, animal and plant health. Restrictions on the use of antibiotics in agriculture and livestock, alongside the growing resistance of many bacteria to these drugs, underscore the need for new strategies to control bacterial diseases. Bacteriophages, or phages – viruses that specifically target bacteria – are emerging as a highly advantageous tool for this purpose, both for their high specificity and their environmental safety.

The biotechnology company Evolving Therapeutics, located in the Science Park of the University of Valencia and supported by the Lanzadera business incubator, has recently received €100,000 in funding from the investment firm Angels. The funds will primarily be used to expand its laboratory facilities and workforce, allowing the company to advance its solutions aimed at combatting the most resistant bacteria.

"Phages, highly specific and environmentally safe viruses, offer a very promising and personalised solution. They attack the target bacteria without disrupting the beneficial bacteria present in the microbiota. They co-evolve with the bacteria and adapt without causing side effects", explains Pilar Domingo-Calap, a Ramón y Cajal researcher at the University of Valencia’s Institute of Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio, UV-CSIC) and co-founder of Evolving Therapeutics with her sister, Marisa Domingo.

"We need to promote biotechnology in Valencia. We have the talent and motivation, but resources are often insufficient. For us, having Angels on board is a step forward to grow", explains Marisa Domingo, the company’s CEO. "Moreover, we believe this synergy between entities reflects our commitment to scientific research and the development of effective solutions to a global public health problem", concludes virologist Pilar Domingo.

"Investing in biotechnological solutions like those offered by Evolving Therapeutics and doing so from a One Health approach – an interdisciplinary and global perspective encompassing human, animal and environmental health – is an investment in a better future", asserts Pepe Peris, general director of Angels. He highlights the disruptive potential of the technology developed by the start-up as well as its positive impact on public health. "This versatility places the company at the forefront of the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Pilar and Marisa Domingo are a testament to Valencia’s ability to generate and retain talent; they are a source of inspiration", Peris adds.

Evolving Therapeutics was established in 2023, driven by the Environmental and Biomedical Virology Laboratory at I2SysBio, a team specialising in phage therapy in the fields of human health, veterinary medicine and plant pathogens. The know-how developed in this laboratory, owned by the University of Valencia, was transferred to the spin-off for commercialisation through a technology transfer agreement between the parties. The company is supported by the University of Valencia and the Respiralia Foundation for cystic fibrosis. Additionally, Evolving Therapeutics is part of the AgrotecUV business acceleration programme, a high-tech incubator for sustainable food promoted by the University of Valencia and the UV Science Park Foundation.

About Angels / Marina de Empresas

Marina de Empresas, founded in 2015 and driven by Juan Roig, comprises the business school EDEM, the accelerator Lanzadera and the investment firm Angels. Marina de Empresas fosters talent to strengthen the business ecosystem that improves society.

Angels focuses on investing in entrepreneurial leaders to develop sustainable businesses and connecting them with investors. It offers a management model based on Total Quality Management, its network of contacts and all the necessary infrastructure to support entrepreneurs, beginning with the facilities at Marina de Empresas. Since its inception, Angels has invested over €40 million in 62 companies, with 50 currently in its portfolio.