smartbax Expands Funding Round for Drug Candidate Targeting Multidrug-Resistant Pathogens

Next-generation antibiotics target LPS biosynthesis

02-Jul-2026
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smartbax, a biotech company developing next-generation antibiotics, announced the successful second closing of its Pre-Series A funding round. With the additional investment from a single-family office based in Frankfurt, the total volume of the funding round has increased to 6.3 million euros. In addition to this new investment, smartbax is supported by a strong consortium of investors comprising Anobis Asset, Bayern Kapital, the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF), HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds, and UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators.

With the additional funds, smartbax will further develop its flagship antibacterial program, which was recently in-licensed from Aicuris, through to the IND submission. The low-molecular-weight active ingredient targets a step in the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharides (LPS)—an essential structural component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria—that has not yet been exploited in antibiotic development. The program has already demonstrated its efficacy in vivo, including against multidrug-resistant pathogens, and shows potential for oral administration.

At the same time, smartbax is continuing to advance the development of its proprietary pipeline of small-molecule antibiotics. This includes two activators of bacterial hydrolases that trigger the self-digestion of bacteria via a novel mechanism of action. The programs target both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens and have so far demonstrated promising drug properties, activity against biofilms, and no observed development of resistance.

Dr. Robert Macsics, CEO of smartbax, said: “With this additional investment, we can advance our lead program to the IND filing stage, thereby taking an important step in the further development of our pipeline. At the same time, we are continuing to invest in our proprietary enzymatic activators, which take a fundamentally different approach to combating bacterial infections. Together, these programs support our goal of addressing the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.”

Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.

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