The danger of drug-resistant pathogens has been receiving more attention lately. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2050, 10 million people could die each year from antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. As a result, the fight against multi-drug resistant pathogens is one of the WHO’s top priorities and was a key topic at the 2020 World Economic Form in Davos. Even the G7 recently added the issue of bacterial resistance to its agenda. This growing awareness is necessary, according to Els Beirnaert, CEO of Aelin Therapeutics: “Antibiotic resistance is a critical issue, but we see it as an opportunity to develop medicines in a radically new way.” 

In January 2020, Aelin Therapeutics participated in the 38th Annual JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in the US. “When we tell our story, everybody listens. We think out of the box, and that is exactly what international investors are looking for. They are not interested in projects that would produce medicines similar to standard antibiotics,” Beirnaert states. Companies investing in Aelin Therapeutics include PMV, Fund+, LSP (the Netherlands), and Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany). “We already have the necessary innovative approach, now we only need to convince other investors with our impressive results. Trust me, you’ll hear more from us.”