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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowGreenfield-based BiomEdit announced Wednesday that its engineered bacteria product to protect poultry from a common disease is in its final regulatory phase and that the animal-health startup also landed $18.4 million in new funding and more than $1.7 million in grants.
The company said it is moving toward commercialization of BE-101—which will have the brand name Optavant upon full licensure from the U.S. Department of Agriculture—in 2026.
BE-101 is the first-of-its-kind probiotic vectored antibody product designed to neutralize Clostridium perfringens toxins–the major cause of deadly necrotic enteritis, or NE, in broiler chickens, according to BiomEdit. The company said the disease causes an estimated $6 billion in annual losses worldwide.
As part of its Wednesday announcement, BiomEdit announced the completion and USDA approval of all required laboratory safety studies. The company also said it selected Iowa-based Diamond Animal Health as its contract development and manufacturing organization.
“These approvals and study results represent a major inflection point for BE-101 and the entire BiomEdit platform,” BiomEdit CEO Aaron Schacht said in a written statement. “We’re pleased to work closely with USDA to bring this novel solution to producers and to secure the right partner in Diamond Animal Health for commercial readiness.”
BiomEdit calls BE-101 a non-antibiotic solution to the disease.
Mortality may be as high as 30% in untreated flocks, according to a 2023 online Penn State Extension article on avian NE by Gino Lorenzoni, assistant professor of poultry science and avian health at Pennsylvania State University.
“While antibiotic growth promoters effectively controlled necrotic enteritis in the past, recent trends in reducing the usage of antibiotics have changed the approach to controlling this disease,” Lorenzoni wrote.
BiomEdit also announced the successful close of financing, led by Anterra Capital, with follow-on investment from Nutreco and new investment by AgriZeroNZ, Indiana’s Elevate Ventures, Betagro Ventures and others.
The company said the $18.4 million in funding provides capital to fund it through conditional licensure and into the commercial launch of BE-101. BiomEdit also said it has secured more than $1.7 million in grants to support ongoing and new research programs.
Also Wednesday, the company said it has added two new executives: Kristin Bloink, as vice president of development, and Andrew Carlson, as chief commercial officer.
BiomEdit was founded in 2022 by Greenfield-based Elanco Animal Health and Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks.
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