BiomEdit, an innovative animal health biotechnology company, has achieved a significant milestone with its lead candidate, BE-101, which is designed to prevent mortality from necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. The product is now in the final phase of the USDA’s conditional licensure process, with a goal of commercialization by 2026. The company also recently closed an oversubscribed Series B financing round, raising approximately $18.4 million, led by Anterra Capital with participation from Nutreco and others.
BE-101, which will be branded as “Optavant,” is the first probiotic vectored antibody (pvAb) product that neutralizes Clostridium perfringens toxins, responsible for significant productivity losses and mortality in poultry. This solution could help address the estimated $6 billion annual loss in the industry.
Key recent developments include:
- Completion of all required laboratory safety studies, with USDA approval.
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Approval of a pivotal efficacy study for conditional licensure.
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Progress on the Federal Register Notice process prior to the field safety study.
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Successful large-scale NE challenge trials demonstrating reduced mortality and improved feed conversion.
BiomEdit has chosen Diamond Animal Health as its contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) to support commercialization efforts. Additionally, the company has appointed Kristin Bloink, DVM, MPH, as Vice President of Development and Andrew Carlson as Chief Commercial Officer.
BiomEdit has also secured over $1.7 million in non-dilutive grants, including funding for research on Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza and a Global Methane Hub grant to investigate rumen genetics. And the company is also advancing its methane-reduction platform with its first feed additive candidate undergoing evaluation to reduce methane emissions while boosting cattle productivity.
KEY QUOTES:
“This is an exciting chapter for BiomEdit. We’re bringing a transformational poultry solution to market and advancing sustainable livestock production – backed by new financing, strong investor support and added leadership.”
“This is an exciting chapter for BiomEdit. We are bringing a transformational poultry solution to U.S. 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, with new financing and investor support, as well as additional leadership well-suited for the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
Aaron Schacht, CEO
“These approvals and study results represent a major inflection point for BE-101 and the entire BiomEdit platform. We’re pleased to work closely with USDA to bring this novel solution to producers and to secure the right partner in Diamond Animal Health for commercial readiness.”
Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit
“We’re proud to support BiomEdit in the advancement of this truly innovative biologic platform. The development of BE-101 represents the future of animal health solutions and will be a game changer for the poultry industry. At Diamond, we bring decades of experience in biologics development and manufacturing, and we’re excited to apply that expertise to help bring Optavant™ to market at scale. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to working with leaders in innovation and to accelerating next-generation products that improve animal health and producer outcomes.”
Dean Warras, CEO of Diamond Animal Health
“We’re pleased to invest in BiomEdit to accelerate the development of an effective methane mitigation solution for grazing cattle in New Zealand and around the world. BiomEdit’s poultry health product proves its unique, world-leading approach works, and our investment will support them to leverage this expertise to help farmers reduce methane emissions without compromising productivity and profitability.”
Wayne McNee, Chief Executive of AgriZeroNZ
