#NewMember | “AseBio connects innovative start-ups with industry and investors”
Meet Telum Therapeutics, our new member. We talked to Roberto Díez-Martínez, CEO y co- founder of the company.
AseBio.What does your company's work bring to the table and what is its strength?
Roberto Díez. The WHO has declared antibiotic resistance as one of the ten biggest threats to global health. In 2019, based on our scientific knowledge of enzybiotic generation, we founded Telum Therapeutics with the aim of contributing to resolving this issue by developing innovative antimicrobial drugs (EPLEs) to treat infectious diseases caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. We believe lysins are the antibiotics of the future.
We currently have our own APEXp® platform that uses synthetic biology and machine learning to design lysins and to enhance their efficiency against bacteria; a promising pipeline in the preclinical phase, a team of 16 talented, dedicated and committed people (100% in R&D), and the advice of international experts in the field, recently backed up by Professor Vincent A. Fischetti from the Rockefeller University in New York.
The company counts on essential support from investors Invivo Capital, Clave Capital, the Innvierte programme from the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and Sodena (Government of Navarra).
AseBio. What is AseBio for you?
Roberto Díez. The institution that strategically promotes and projects the Spanish biotechnology sector and that represents the interests of entrepreneurs and business owners in all decision-making organisations. It is an honour to join the AseBio biotech family, with more than 300 members.
AseBio.When did you first hear about AseBio?
Roberto Díez. When we made the leap from academia to business, AseBio came up in several conversations.
AseBio. What do you expect from being part of an association like AseBio?
Roberto Díez. To establish synergies with national and international stakeholders, to share knowledge and lessons learned and to receive support to grow our business. We also hope that start-ups, as a source of innovation for the biomedical industry, will have a voice and a presence in AseBio’s events and initiatives.
AseBio. What is the biggest challenge facing the biotech sector?
Roberto Díez. The Spanish biotech and healthcare sector is strong and has a mature industry. However, it still needs to attract larger international investors, as they tend to favour other countries.