RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK–Locus Biosciences, which is developing advanced antibacterial products, is moving into Keystone Technology Park.
Keystone developer Longfellow Real Estate Partners said Locus will take nearly 24,000 square feet of new Class-A office and lab space. Other tenants include Freudenberg IT, Affordable Care, and Laird Technology, among others.
As our company continues exponential growth, we needed additional space to scale our team to support upcoming clinical trials, which are slated to begin in the first quarter of 2019,” said Paul Garofolo, CEO of Locus Biosciences in a statement. “We also made the strategic decision to in-source current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) production of clinical trial material.”
The company, which acquired California-based EpiBiome’s bacteriophage discovery platform in July, is developing targeted CRISPR-engineered bacteriophage products. A bacteriophage is a virus that infects bacteria. CRISPR is a gene-editing technology. The Locus Bioscience products kill target bacterial by irreversibly destroying their DNA, while leaving the body’s good bacteria unharmed.
They have been used to kill bacteria for more than 100 years, but dropped out of favor as highly effective antibiotics came into play. Overuse of antibiotics has led to dangerous strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria. The phage products kill antibiotic resistant bacteria, bringing new interest to their use.
Locus secured a $19 million Series A round leg by ARTIS ventures in November, 2017 and a $5 million convertible note in July 2017.
EpiBiome employees have already started to relocate to North Carolina, and Locus expects to have 30 employees on staff by the end of this year.
