BRIEF—Startups start work with Merck KGaA

A startup specializing in the fight against multi-drug resistant bacteria is among 10 that on Wednesday joined the accelerator program at German company Merck KGaA.

The teams from nine countries are joining the accelerator for the three-month duration of the program, in what is its seventh intake of startups.

For the first time, some will also be able to extend their stay by joining the company’s China Innovation Hub in Shanghai, which will give them the opportunity to access the Chinese market.

Among the healthcare-focused startups is Nextbiotics, which is developing a biotechnology platform that engineers bacteriophages to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria. It envisions using its technology to precisely modulate the microbiome with applications in the prevention and treatment of infections for humans and animals.