Mölndal-based Amferia, a Swedish medtech company focused on developing innovative antimicrobial healthcare solutions, closed a €1,2 million investment round spearheaded by existing owners and a few new investors, including Chalmers Ventures.
The funding will support the advancement of clinical development within human health and further the commercialization of Amferia’s pipeline built on its proprietary platform, designed to protect and utilize antimicrobial peptides to combat bacterial infections.
“Bacterial infections are likely to surpass cancer and heart disease as a number one cause of human deaths in the future, and this is largely due to resistance to commonly used antibiotics. Our hydrogel technology enables the safe and stable use of antimicrobial peptides, allowing them to effectively target bacteria without harming surrounding tissue. Essentially, we are using antimicrobial peptides to mimic the immune system and reduce the need for antibiotics,” said Anand Rajasekharan, CEO and co-founder of Amferia.
The art of killing bacteria
Antimicrobial peptides are known for their ability to kill bacteria due to their positive electrostatic charge, which attracts the negatively charged bacteria. This allows the peptides to puncture bacterial membranes and destroy the cells.
However, their fragility in natural biological environments has been a major challenge, as enzymes in the human body can destroy these peptides within seconds. Amferia’s hydrogel is a flexible solution that can be adapted to applications where killing bacteria is critical — with the added advantage that it kills even resistant bacteria.
Amferia has already signed its first commercial agreement with Orkla Wound Care, a leading company within animal wound care, to introduce a wound dressing that also kills resistant bacteria.
“We believe this investment will help Amferia advance its hydrogel platform and bring it to the market for human use. A portion of the funds will be allocated towards regulatory and post-regulatory work for human use. It will also help Amferia form new strategic partnerships to ensure a smooth market entry,” added Jonas Bergman, Investment Director at Chalmers Ventures.
