PrecisionPhage furthers utilisation of phage research and technologies − Attends the Business Finland’s program
−PrecisionPhage aims at furthering the utilisation of phage research and innovative phage technologies against global health threat of antibiotic resistance
Business Finland has granted 1,2 million euros of Deep Tech Accelerator (DTA) funding forPrecisionPhage. The funding will be disbursed in three phases based on thecompany's performance. PrecisionPhage was founded in 2022 in Jyväskylä.
PrecisionPhage attends the Business Finland’s DTA program
The goal of the DTA funding is to promote the utilisation of research results in startup businesses and to guide and accelerate the market entry and international business initiation of deep tech startups.
The 2024 DTA funding consists of three phases of 400,000 euros each, with the first two phases being grants and the third a loan. Each phase is estimated to last 12-18 months. Business Finland's funding covers 75% of the total cost estimate.
− Our company is university-oriented and the founders have worked on phage research for over 15 years in the University of Jyväskylä and the University of Helsinki. With Business Finland’s funding we can progress the phage research and the use of phage technologies on a larger scale. Phage technologies can be used e.g. for difficult-to-treat bacterial infections, says Matti Jalasvuori, CEO of PrecisionPhage and Senior Lecturer and Director of the Phage Research group at the Department of Biological and Environmental Science in the University of Jyväskylä.
− Our work in my research group at the University of Helsinki focuses on interactions between phages and bacteria under conditions that resemble the conditions in the human body during phage therapy. The funding from Business Finland will allow us to use our expertise to participate in international work, that aims at developing practices for phage treatments, says Saija Kiljunen, Chief Scientific Officer at PrecisionPhage and University Researcher, Docent and Director of the Phage Laboratory in the University of Helsinki.
WHO has declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) one the global health threats
The World Health Organization (WHO) considers antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as one of the main global public health threats.
Bacteriophages, phages, are tiny viruses, programmed to seek out and destroy specific bacterial cells. Bacteriophages target only their designated bacterial hosts while leaving beneficial bacteria and human cells unharmed.
Phage therapy is being advanced at the EU level
So far, Phage therapy has not yet been approved as a preferred treatment in Finnish pharmaceutical legislation, but this is currently being furthered at the EU level.
However it is stated in the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki, which unifies ethical principles in medical research, that in the treatment of an individual patient, where proven interventions do not exist or other known interventions have been ineffective, the physician, after seeking expert advice, with informed consent from the patient or a legally authorised representative, may use an unproven intervention if in the physician’s judgement it offers hope of saving life, re-establishing health or alleviating suffering.
Interesting study of 100 phage treatment cases
In Europe, countries such as Belgium and Portugal have recently made good progress in introducing phage treatments. In these regions, among others, regulation at national level allows for more free use of phages in the treatment of bacterial infections. A Belgian-led consortium has published the results of a study of 100 cases of phage treatment.
The phage therapy field is developing at a fast pace and the future perspectives for utilisation of phage research and technologies for different purposes are good. The creation of a unified set of EU-level rules regulating phage therapy will facilitate the usage of phage therapy in Finland as well.
Related news and topics:
- €2.2M Investments
- PrecisionPhages’ services: Phagenomics online tool – Laboratory services – Phage Licencing