Locus Biosciences

Name

Locus Biosciences

Legal name

Locus Biosciences, Inc.

Website

https://locus-bio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Locus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing CRISPR-Cas3 enhanced bacteriophage (crPhage™) precision therapies for antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections, partnering with pharma and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineered Bacteriophage Therapeutics

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAAAIAD

Synthetic Biology & Genetic Circuit Design Platforms (pathway engineering, chassis development)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Biologic Drug Discovery Platforms (screening, antibody engineering, synthetic biology)

Keywords

• Engineered bacteriophage therapy
• CRISPR-Cas3 antimicrobials
• Precision antibacterial medicine
• Phage-based therapeutics
• Microbiome-preserving antibiotics

Headquarters

HQ city

Morrisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Non-dilutive Government Funding: BARDA and CARB-X contracts provide funding for clinical development. BARDA contract up to $93M for LBP-EC01 Phase 2/3 trials; CARB-X up to $12.5M for LBP-KP01 development. NIAID contract $3.3M for LBP-PA01 pneumonia trial with up to $28M potential.
2. Pharmaceutical Licensing and Milestones: Collaboration and license agreement with Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) for CRISPR-Cas3 bacteriophage therapeutics. Received $20M upfront with up to $798M in potential development and commercial milestone payments plus royalties on product sales.
3. Strategic Partnerships: Revenue from research collaborations such as Viatris partnership for ophthalmic infections. Combined with strong and growing revenues from ongoing J&J collaboration.
4. Debt Financing: Credit facility of up to $25 million from Hercules Capital, issued in tranches upon achievement of clinical and business milestones.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Locus Biosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing engineered bacteriophage (crPhage) precision medicines that combine CRISPR-Cas3 DNA-targeting with bacteriophage lytic activity to selectively kill pathogenic bacteria while preserving healthy microbiome bacteria. Its portfolio includes five therapeutic products in development (LBP-EC01 for E. coli UTIs in Phase 2/3, LBP-PA01 for P. aeruginosa pneumonia, LBP-KP01 for K. pneumoniae, LBP-SA01 for S. aureus, and LBP-AIEC01 for IBD), all powered by its proprietary LOCUS AI and robotics platform and manufactured in its award-winning cGMP facility.

Product overview

Locus Biosciences is a clinical-stage precision medicine company developing a portfolio of engineered bacteriophage products powered by its proprietary LOCUS AI and robotics platform. The product portfolio includes five therapeutic products: LBP-EC01 (Phase 2/3 for E. coli UTIs), LBP-PA01 (IND-Enabling for P. aeruginosa pneumonia), LBP-KP01 (IND-Enabling for K. pneumoniae infections), LBP-SA01 (Discovery for S. aureus bloodstream infections), and LBP-AIEC01 (Discovery for IBD). The LOCUS platform integrates AI/ML, robotics, automated biobanking, pangenomics, and synthetic biology to design fixed bacteriophage cocktails with CRISPR-Cas3 and other therapeutic payloads. A vertically-integrated, award-winning cGMP manufacturing facility supports clinical production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• crPhage™: CRISPR-Cas3-enhanced bacteriophage product platform technology that precisely kills target pathogenic bacteria while preserving beneficial microbiome bacteria.
• LOCUS

Products and services

• LBP-EC01 Clinical-stage CRISPR-Cas3 enhanced bacteriophage cocktail targeting Escherichia coli for treatment of urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by drug-resistant E. coli, including recurrent and multi-drug resistant infections. Works through a dual mechanism combining natural lytic activity with CRISPR-Cas3 DNA-targeting. Targets over 95% of current uropathogenic E. coli strains. Phase 2 Part 1 results published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases showed 100% (16/16) complete resolution of UTI symptoms and 87.5% (14/16) microbiologic cure.
• LBP-PA01 Engineered bacteriophage product (AI-designed using LOCUS platform) targeting Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria for treatment of hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia (HAP/VAP) caused by antibiotic-resistant strains.
• LBP-KP01 CRISPR-Cas3 enhanced bacteriophage cocktail targeting Klebsiella pneumoniae for treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and other infections including pneumonia and bacteremia.
• LBP-SA01 Engineered bacteriophage product targeting Staphylococcus aureus for treatment of bloodstream infections (BSIs), including MRSA cases.
• LBP-AIEC01 Engineered bacteriophage cocktail targeting adherent-invasive E. coli (AIEC) bacteria for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), specifically Crohn's disease.
• LOCUS Platform Industrialized precision medicine platform combining predictive AI, machine learning, high-throughput robotics, automated biobanking, pangenomics, and synthetic biology to design and manufacture engineered bacteriophage cocktails. Includes Cloud Core, Biobank Core, Pangenomics Core, Robotics Core, and Viral Vector Core modules. Processes 41 million phage-bacteria reaction datapoints and 2.2 million images.
• cGMP Viral Vector Manufacturing Facility ISPE 2021 Facility of the Year award-winning 10,000 sq ft modular cGMP manufacturing facility with three self-contained manufacturing suites for production of bacteriophage and other viral vectors at clinical trial scale. Meets FDA, EMA, and PMDA regulatory standards. Has produced over 60 cGMP batches with over 60% dosed in patients in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase 1b trial met all primary and secondary endpoints demonstrating safety and tolerability for LBP-EC01
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• ViatriscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2025Research collaboration to develop engineered bacteriophage therapies targeting bacterial eye infections (ophthalmic infections). Collaboration aims to address unmet medical need due to rising antibiotic-resistant infections worldwide.
• Johnson & Johnson (Janssen Pharmaceuticals)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 January 2019Exclusive collaboration and license agreement to develop CRISPR-Cas3 enhanced bacteriophage products targeting two bacterial pathogens for respiratory tract and other organ system infections. Locus receiving $20M upfront with up to $798M in potential milestone payments plus royalties on product sales.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Adaptive Phage Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing bacteriophage therapies for bacterial infections, including UTIs and respiratory infections. Most direct competitor with FDA orphan drug designation and similar therapeutic approach targeting antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
• Armata Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage phage therapy company developing engineered bacteriophage products for bacterial infections including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Competes in similar indications with comparable therapeutic modality.
• Intralytix: Pioneer in bacteriophage technology with FDA-approved phage products for food safety and clinical applications. Develops phage therapy products for bacterial infections, representing established competitor in phage-based therapeutics.
• ContraFect Corporation: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing direct lytic agents (DLAs) and other lysin-based therapeutics for treatment of life-threatening antibiotic-resistant infections. Competes in antibacterial biologics space with similar clinical-stage profile.
• BiomX (formerly PhagoMed): Clinical-stage company developing phage therapy products targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria and microbiome-related diseases. Competes directly in engineered phage therapeutics for similar bacterial indications.

Emerging players

• Eligo Bioscience: Developer of engineered phage-based precision antimicrobials using synthetic biology. Uses similar approach of engineering phage with therapeutic payloads for targeted bacterial killing, though focused on microbiome modulation.
• Vedanta Biosciences: Clinical-stage company developing defined bacterial consortia for immune-mediated diseases. Related through precision microbiome therapeutics approach, addressing similar IBD and infectious disease indications.
• SNIPR Biome: Biotechnology company developing CRISPR-based microbiome therapeutics using engineered phage to selectively target bacteria. Directly comparable CRISPR-phage technology approach for precision antibacterial applications.

Broad incumbents

• Seres Therapeutics: Late-stage microbiome therapeutics company developing engineered bacterial consortia for serious diseases. Related through microbiome-modulating therapeutic approach for bacterial infections and inflammatory diseases.

Others

• Fedora Pharmaceuticals: Biopharmaceutical company developing novel antibacterial agents targeting bacterial resistance mechanisms. Adjacent comparator in antibacterial therapeutics space with focus on drug-resistant infections.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LocusBio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/locus-biosciences-inc.
• Facebookfacebook.com/locusbiosciences

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors10 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Locus Biosciences