Betagro Ventures, the venture arm of Thailand’s integrated food company Betagro, has partnered with global allies to fund BiomEdit, a US-based animal health biotechnology company, in its Series B round.
The investment will support BE-101, BiomEdit’s lead candidate for preventing necrotic enteritis (NE).
NE is a fatal bacterial disease in poultry, particularly broilers, caused by an overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens in the small intestine, leading to severe intestinal damage, high mortality rates (up to 50%), reduced feed efficiency, and significant economic losses for the poultry industry.
Probiotic vectored antibody product
BE-101, to be marketed as Optavant upon full licensure, is the first-of-its-kind probiotic vectored antibody (pvAb) product designed to help poultry producers combat NE in poultry by neutralizing Clostridium perfringens toxins.
This non-antibiotic solution offers a novel way to address a disease primarily caused by these toxins – responsible for an estimated USD 6 billion in global annual losses due to productivity decline, illness, and mortality.
The product is currently in the final phase of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) conditional licensure process and is set for commercial launch in 2026.
“We are proud to support BiomEdit in advancing its cutting-edge biologics platform and bringing a first-of-its-kind animal health solution to market. This partnership underscores our commitment to innovation-driven solutions that proactively address new challenges posed by animal disease outbreaks, effectively serve market needs, thereby enhancing animal health, boosting productivity across the livestock industry, and growing the overall industry sustainably,” said Chayadhorn Taepaisitphongse, Betagro’s President of Animal Nutrition & New Ventures.
“Furthermore, this collaboration will provide us with access to leading advancements in novel feed and animal health products, acting as a catalyst for co-developing innovative solutions for the future.”
Series B financing
BiomEdit announced the successful close of its Series B financing, led by Anterra Capital, with follow-on investment from Nutreco.
Betagro Ventures was among the new participants in this oversubscribed round (around USD 18.4 million), which also included AgriZeroNZ, and Indiana’s Elevate Ventures, providing sufficient capital to fund BiomEdit through conditional licensure and into the commercial launch of BE-101.
“This is an exciting chapter for BiomEdit,” said Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit.
“We are bringing a transformational poultry solution to US broiler producers and pushing the frontiers of sustainable livestock production. In just three years since our founding, we are poised to deliver products to market, bolstered by new financing and investor support, including Betagro Ventures, and well-suited for the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
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