EnBiotix acquires anti-microbial peptide portfolio from AMP

Privately-held US firm EnBiotix today announced the completion of an asset acquisition of AMP Therapeutics’ anti-microbial peptide portfolio company of Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund and Novartis Venture Fund. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

In connection with the acquisition, EnBiotix has established EnBiotix GmbH. EnBiotix has also initiated a collaboration with Leipzig University and AMPT’s scientific co-founder, Professor Ralf Hoffmann.

“AMPT has discovered and developed unique families of anti-microbial peptides which are very potent, non-toxic to human cells and which possess broad spectrum anti-bacterial activity,” said Jeffrey Wager, chairman and chief executive of EnBiotix, adding: “These peptides represent exciting potential candidates as payloads for our engineered phage platform and as stand-alone therapies for both human and animal health indications. In addition, by establishing EnBiotix GmbH to facilitate our acquisition of AMPT assets, we are now well-positioned to pursue a variety of European partnering and fundraising activities in both the private and public sectors.”

“The acquisition of AMPT by EnBiotix represents a very synergistic fit between the two companies, and should substantially enhance corporate value for both sets of shareholders,” said Martin Heidecker, managing director of Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund USA Inc. “As part of our mission to invest in and support early stage, innovative research that can benefit patients worldwide, we strongly support this business combination,” he noted.

The AMPT anti-microbial peptides address significant unmet medical needs and provide an alternative to antibiotics in human and animal health, particularly in an era of unprecedented bacterial resistance to traditional antibiotics. In conjunction with the acquisition, EnBiotix has also initiated a collaboration with Leipzig University and Professor Ralf Hoffmann. The collaboration between EnBiotix GmbH and the Hoffmann Lab will work to optimize anti-microbial peptides for a variety of indications, beginning with ventilator associated pneumonia and hospital acquired pneumonia.