BiomEdit secures US$18.4M to advance breakthrough poultry probiotics

USA – Indiana-based animal health biotechnology company BiomEdit has raised US$18.4 million in Series B funding to accelerate the development of its novel probiotic solution for broiler chickens, aimed at tackling one of the poultry industry’s most costly diseases.

The round was led by Anterra Capital, with follow-on support from Nutreco and new participation from Betagro Ventures, AgriZeroNZ, and Elevate Ventures. 

The investment will fund BiomEdit through the final phase of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s conditional licensure process and support the planned commercial launch of its lead candidate, BE-101, in 2026.

BE-101, which will be marketed as Optavant™ upon full licensure, is the first probiotic vectored antibody (pvAb™) product of its kind. 

The engineered probiotic is designed to neutralise toxins from Clostridium perfringens, the bacterium responsible for necrotic enteritis, a disease that causes up to US$6 billion in annual losses worldwide due to reduced productivity, illness, and mortality in poultry.

Instead of relying on antibiotics, BE-101 offers a sustainable and targeted approach. The product is administered to chicks shortly after hatching, allowing beneficial bacteria to colonise and protect against disease during their growth cycle.

“This is an exciting chapter for BiomEdit,” said Aaron Schacht, CEO of BiomEdit. “We are bringing a transformational poultry solution to U.S. broiler producers and pushing the frontiers of sustainable livestock production. 

In just three years since our founding, we are poised to deliver products to market, bolstered by new financing and investor support, including Betagro Ventures, and well-suited for the opportunities and challenges ahead.”

Strategic global partnerships

Betagro Public Company, a major integrated food company in Thailand, joined the funding round through its venture arm.

According to Chayadhorn Taepaisitphongse, President – Animal Nutrition & New Ventures at Betagro, the partnership reflects a shared commitment to innovation in animal health.

“We are proud to support BiomEdit in advancing its cutting-edge biologics platform and bringing a first-of-its-kind animal health solution to market,” he said. 

“This partnership underscores our commitment to innovation-driven solutions that proactively address new challenges posed by animal disease outbreaks, effectively serve market needs, thereby enhancing animal health, boosting productivity across the livestock industry, and growing the overall industry sustainably.”

Scaling up for commercial launch

Founded in 2022 as a spinout from Elanco in partnership with Ginkgo Bioworks, BiomEdit specialises in microbiome-based animal health solutions. 

The company is working with Diamond Animal Health as its contract development and manufacturing partner to scale BE-101 production.

In addition to venture backing, BiomEdit has secured more than US$1.7 million in non-dilutive grants, including funding from the USDA for avian flu research and the Global Methane Hub to explore methane reduction in cattle.

As it prepares to bring Optavant to market, BiomEdit is also advancing other products in its pipeline, signalling broader ambitions to transform livestock health with synthetic biology and engineered probiotics.

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