Antimicrobial Resistance - one of the biggest threats to human and animal health.

This week I spoke to Julius Strauss, part of the investment team at FoodLabs, a Berlin-based €100m VC fund and venture studio focused on early-stage companies with a real impact on climate, food and agriculture.

At FoodLabs, Julius covers AgTech topics, while also looking at all data-driven topics that work with machine learning and AI. Additionally, Julius works closely with FoodLabs portfolio companies including Nomitri, ahead, and Cellcraft.

Antimicrobial Resistance - one of the biggest threats to human and animal health.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing concern in both human and animal health. The WHO has declared that AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity, requiring urgent multisectoral action in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Without a global response to AMR, the cumulative economic loss is expected to be £100 trillion by 2050. But that's not all: it is predicted that 10 million people will die each year by 2050 as a result of antimicrobial resistance. To put this in perspective, this is more than the 8.2 million people who die each year from cancer.

AMR occurs when microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites, evolve to be resistant to antimicrobial drugs like antibiotics. As a result, AMR makes it much harder to treat those infections. One of the key drivers of AMR is the overuse and misuse of antimicrobial drugs, which in turn is increasing the resistance of microorganisms’ strains.

In the food industry, antimicrobial drugs are commonly used to clean production equipment or to prevent and treat disease in livestock, poultry, and fish. They are also applied as growth promoters to increase the efficiency of animal production. However, the overuse and misuse of antimicrobials in food production led to the development of resistant strains.

For example, the widespread use of antibiotics in chicken farming has led to the development of antibiotic-resistant strains of salmonella. While resistant microorganisms can then be transmitted to humans through the food supply, the case of salmonella can cause foodborne illness and even death in humans.

These resistant microorganisms can then be transmitted to humans through the food supply, leading to the spread of drug-resistant infections

What can be done? Different approaches to AMR

To fight the spread of AMR, several promising technologies and concepts are being developed:

While each measure is important, a combination of different measures will be needed to prevent the further spread of AMR. At FoodLabs, we are particularly excited about the potential of vaccines, biosecurity measures, and phage therapy to combat AMR in food and agriculture:

💊 Vaccination - preventing AMR at its origin

Vaccines can prevent the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria or diseases in animals including zoonotic diseases, which are diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The method of vaccination depends on the type of vaccine and the species of animal being vaccinated. At FoodLabs, we believe there is great potential for innovation in the different ways vaccines can be administered to animals.

Oral and nasal administration methods are less invasive and more convenient, while inoculation and in ovo or in utero administration methods are designed to target specific populations of animals. These new ways of delivering vaccines have the potential to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of vaccination programs, making them more accessible to a larger number of animals.

In addition, new technologies such as molecular farming, DNA vaccines, and viral vectors are also being developed to improve the efficacy and safety of vaccines for animals, offering additional opportunities for innovation by providing access to a wide range of new applications.

🍃 Biosecurity measures - restoring nature to reinstate balance

Biodiversity measures can greatly aid in preventing the spread of AMR. By preserving and protecting ecosystems and their rich species diversity, we can reduce the use of antibiotics. Biodiverse ecosystems are more resilient and better able to adapt to changing conditions, which can reduce the risk of outbreaks of diseases and the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. This includes promoting:

🐟 sustainable fishing practices🌾 crop rotation and mixed cropping🐾 soil health such as agroforestry and conservation agriculture💦 conserving wetlands and other habitats that act as natural filters for pollutants

COP15, one of the largest international gatherings on biodiversity, highlighted the critical importance of biodiversity in protecting human health. The conference recognised the threat of antimicrobial resistance and called for efforts to address the issue. In addition to government regulation, private sector initiatives such as the Make It Mandatory Campaign are calling for mandatory biodiversity disclosure. More than 400 companies and institutions from 52 countries with a combined turnover of more than $2 trillion helped convince governments at COP15 to adopt Target 15 of the Global Biodiversity Framework:

“Requirements for all large businesses and financial institutions to assess and disclose their risks, impacts and dependencies on biodiversity by 2030.”

🦠 Bacteriophages - an underestimated resource in the fight against AMR

Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that infect and kill bacteria. In other words, phages are the natural antagonists of bacteria. The biggest advantage of phage therapy is that phages target and eliminate specific bacterial hosts, rather than affecting the entire microbiome. They can be found in water, soil, sewage, and any other places where bacterias exist. Recent advances in technology, particularly the ability to sequence the genomes of bacterial hosts, have made phages increasingly popular.

There are many cases of how AMR is having a tremendous impact on farmers. For example, Xylella and Pseudomonas bacteria are causing significant economic and ecological devastation throughout Europe in olive, cherry, and other stone fruits, mainly due to the lack of efficient control methods and the emergence of bacterial resistance to traditional antimicrobial compounds such as copper and antibiotics. Studies show that phages could be a potential solution to this problem.

Phages can be applied for a variety of purposes:

🎯 To specifically target and eliminate antibiotic-resistant bacteria, reducing the need for traditional antibiotics and slowing the development of resistance🚫 As a preventative measure in the food industry, adding them to the feed or water of livestock and poultry 🧴 To decontaminate food-processing facilities and equipment⛑️ In the medical field as a therapeutic agent to combat bacterial infections in humans, especially those caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria

At FoodLabs, we recognize that the rapid emergence of AMR is a global health threat that requires a multidisciplinary approach and that this post only scratches the surface of all the possible interventions being developed in response to AMR.

If you're a startup working on novel technologies to combat antimicrobial resistance in food or agriculture and are looking for early-stage funding, please reach out to [email protected].

Julius is part of the investment team at FoodLabs, a Berlin-based €100m VC fund and venture studio focused on early-stage companies with a real impact on climate, food and agriculture.

At FoodLabs, Julius covers AgTech topics, while also looking at all data-driven topics that work with machine learning and AI. Additionally, Julius works closely with FoodLabs portfolio companies including Nomitri, ahead, and Cellcraft.

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