Animab

Animab, a spin-off from VIB, develops edible antibodies to prevent infectious diseases in livestock. The start-up is working on a first product for piglets. The company hopes that this will help reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock farming. Animab uses a unique patented technology platform to produce a new class of antibodies. These monoclonal antibodies can be administered orally to the animals in order to prevent intestinal infections. They mimic natural antibodies from the mother’s milk. VIB, UGent and VUB have collaborated to further improve these antibodies to target with speed and precision specific intestinal pathogens in livestock without altering the healthy microbiome. The first promising product based on this new antibody technology is designed specifically for pig farming and should be effective against weaning diarrhoea, a disease that occurs in 25 to 50% of all piglets in Europe. Animab’s product offers pig farmers an alternative to antibiotics for controlling intestinal disease, thus contributing to more sustainable livestock farming.

Animab, led by a team with a strong track record in animal health and veterinary medicine, is backed by a solid European investor consortium who invested 3.4 M€. The capital round was led by Seventure Partners and PMV, with the participation of Agri Investment Fund, V-Bio Ventures and VIB. The ambition of the investor consortium is to further support the growth of the company through future financing rounds, allowing it to bring this innovative concept to the market as a commercial product.