Spin-off Aquilón, promoted by Janus Developments, gets €2 millions
This biotech firm is developing a vaccine for dysentery, a vaccine for respiratory diseases and a probiotic for digestive problems during lactation for porcine livestock.
By Biocat
Aquilón CyL —specializing in the development and marketing of innovative alternatives to antibiotics, which prevent infections or mitigate their effects, and prebiotics and probiotics that improve the natural defenses of animals— has just closed a €2-millions round of funding. This biotechnology company was created last March out of an idea conceived of and led by the Janus Developments consultancy, located in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), from technology generated by researchers at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Leon.
This round of funding was led by the promoters of the business project, researchers from the University of Leon and executives from Janus Developments, with participation from venture capital firm Clave Mayor through their Seguranza technology fund (in which the Ministry of Economy and Employment of the Junta de Castilla y Leon is a stakeholder). The Genoma España Foundation, through their InnoCash program, has contributed €430,000 as a leveraged loan.
With these resources, Aquilón will complete development on three projects that are the foundation of the company. The first two have been developed out of research done at the University of Leon: a vaccine for porcine dysentery and a probiotic product aimed at substituting the use of traditional antibiotics to treat digestive problems during porcine lactation. The third project is a vaccine for respiratory diseases based on technology developed and patented by the UAB, the exploitation rights to which were acquired by Janus in 2010.
According to CEO of Janus Developments and President of Aquilón Lluís Ruíz-Ávila, the closing of this round of funding “in the current economic climate is a clear indicator of the solidity of the business project, and of the enormous source of opportunities that can be found in Spanish academic research, both in the veterinary field specifically and in biomedicine in general.”
Coinciding with the signing of the capital increase, Aquilón’s first Board of Administration was created, made up of representatives from Janus Developments, the University of Leon and Seguranza.
The company expects to market its products globally as of 2015-2016.
More information is available on the PCB website.