A new spin-off of the University of Valencia will develop biotechnological solutions for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of resistant pathogenic bacteria. It will be done through a methodology based on phage and from a One Health approach, i. e. interdisciplinary and global in the human and animal health and the environment areas. This is EVOLVING THERAPEUTICS, a company that surged from research from their main developer, Pilar Domingo-Calap, at the Institute for Integrative Systems Biology (I2SysBio).
The multi-resistant bacteria are a great threat for the human, animal and vegetal health. The restrictions of the use of antibiotics for agriculture and livestock, as well as the increasing resistance of many bacteria to this kind of medicament, demand the development of new strategies to control bacterial diseases. And bacteriophage or phage –virus that attack exclusively bacteria- is considered a clearly advantageous alternative to antibiotics, as much its high specificity as its safety for the environment.
EVOLVING THERAPEUTICS emerges as a spin-off of the University of Valencia (UV) in order to transfer to the market a personalised system of insulation of environmental bacteriophage oriented to tackle this problem of antimicrobial resistance. “Phage are a very promising and personalised solution. They attack the bacterial target without alternating the rest of beneficial bacteria that has the microbiota because they are very specific and ecologically safe. Moreover, they coevolve with the bacteria and adapt without producing side effects”, assures Pilar Domingo-Calap, researcher Ramón y Cajal of the University of Valencia at the I2SysBio and main developer of the new spin-off.
Developed by the Environmental and Biomedical Virology group of the I2SysBio (UV-CSIC) –an expert team of phage therapy in the areas of human health, veterinary and plant pathogens-, this system of the UV has been transferred to EVOLVING THERAPEUTICS for its marketing, after the subscription of a contract of methodology transfer between both parts.
It is the first commercial offer of personalised One Health therapy based on phage in Spain. Thanks to its extensive experience in the study of phage, the founder team of the spin-off will contribute by offering scientific advisory service and personalised solutions for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pathogenic bacteria, including human, animal and vegetal health. EVOLVING THERAPEUTICS also emerges thanks to the Respiralia Foundation, a non-profit organisation oriented to improve the quality of life and the life expectancy of people with cystic fibrosis.
The University of Valencia participates from the capital of the new biotechnological company, the third spin-off generated from the Integrative Systems Biology and the 19th in the active spin-offs catalogue of the academic institution.
