Mar 2019
Tel Aviv, Israel, March 6, 2019, Tel Aviv University (TAU), Technology Innovation Momentum Fund, managed by Ramot, TAU’s Business Engagement Center has entered into a license agreement with Trobix Bio, a newly formed start-up company, to develop and commercialize its antimicrobial resistance platform technology. Following the license agreement, Trobix Bio has completed its initial funding round, led by Chartered Opus investment group (http://www.chartered.sg/chartered-opus/).
The technology licensed to Trobix Bio is based on an extensive research done by Prof. Udi Qimron and his team from the Faculty of Medicine at Tel-Aviv University, and uses phage-based particle technology to effectively deliver DNA to a wide range of bacterial pathogens, and to actively sensitize these pathogens to antibiotics. The technology was developed over the past few years through funding by the Momentum Fund (MF) under the supervision of the MF Scientific Committee and Project Management team.
Under the licensing terms, Trobix Bio has received exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize all intellectual property related to the technology into multiple vertical markets including human therapeutics, animal health, food safety and consumer health.
“We are delighted to be part of this announcement for two primary reasons. The investment by Chartered Opus investment group, is an acknowledgment to the value that the Momentum Fund brings to early stage academic innovations. In addition, we are proud that Dr. Adi Elkeles, an experienced executive who successfully led in the last five years the business development efforts of Ramot’s life science team has taken the leadership role of this promising innovation”, said Shlomo Nimrodi, Ramot CEO and the MF GP.
“I feel humbled and grateful for this opportunity”, said Dr. Adi Elkeles, founder and CEO of Trobix Bio. “Founded on solid IP and years of excellent scientific research, Trobix Bio plans to springboard this highly promising platform technology and develop products that can effectively tackle the imminent threat of antimicrobial resistance”, he added.
“Trobix Bio is set to revolutionize the landscape of phage-based Nanomedicine by introducing a game-changing, precision particle disruptive technology to tackle the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance. The global need for a solution was there from day one and we are very happy to join the team that will deliver the solution” says Eyal Agmoni, Chairman of Chartered Group.
About Ramot at Tel Aviv University and the Momentum Fund
Ramot is the Business Engagement Center at Tel Aviv University, Israel’s largest research and teaching university.
Rooted in both academic and corporate arenas, Ramot is uniquely positioned to cultivate the special relationships between these two compelling worlds, creating win-win connections that support fertile, ground breaking research while providing companies with discoveries that give them a crucial competitive edge.
The Momentum Fund, is the most recent of Ramot’s funds to become operational. This fund offers around one-million-dollar funding for translational research technologies at Tel Aviv University in a wide range of fields, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, high-tech and the physical sciences.
For more information, visit http://www.ramot.org.
About Chartered Opus
Chartered Opus is a production platform for investment products combining structural and technological innovations to a new methodology in Structured Products. Opus is the preferred investment vehicle for the Chartered Group High-Tech division: www.charteredgroup.com In the past two years Chartered group grew its high tech portfolio to about 20 companies all with disruptive technologies, including being the anchor investor for TAU Venture at the Tel Aviv University.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Adi Elkeles
Founder & CEO
Trobix Bio
Tel: +972-54-6402333
Email: aelkeles@gmail.com