Phico Therapeutics

About Phico Therapeutics

Phico Therapeutics was a biotechnology company that developed an engineered phage technology as the basis for a new generation of antibiotics to combat antibacterial resistance. The company entered liquidation in May 2024.

Founded in 2000 by Dr. Heather Fairhead in Cambridge, UK, Phico focused on developing treatments for serious infections with limited options, targeting superbugs like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. Dr. Fairhead, who served as CEO, has a background in molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry from the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield, and Cambridge. Her work on the proteins central to Phico's technology was conducted at the University of Connecticut.

The company's core technology was the SASPject™ platform, which used engineered bacteriophages (viruses that infect bacteria) to deliver a gene encoding a small acid-soluble spore protein (SASP). Once inside the target bacteria, the gene would cause the production of SASP, which inactivates the bacteria's DNA, preventing it from metabolizing or reproducing and allowing the immune system to clear it. This mechanism was designed to be effective against multi-drug resistant bacteria because its effectiveness is not dependent on the bacterial DNA sequence, making resistance less likely to develop.

Phico's lead product, SASPject PT3.9, was developed for the intravenous treatment of hospital-acquired infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a leading cause of pneumonia in ventilated patients. The company had received significant funding to advance this product, including up to $18.2 million from CARB-X, a global partnership dedicated to accelerating antibacterial research, to support progression through Phase 1 clinical trials. In May 2021, Phico also announced a £7 million investment led by BGF to further develop the SASPject platform and move PT3.9 toward clinical trials. Over its lifetime, the company raised a total of $19.9 million over nine funding rounds from investors including BGF, Cambridge Capital Group, ET Capital, and numerous angel investors.