What Procarta Biosystems does

Procarta Biosystems is a private UK biotech developing a novel class of oligonucleotide-based antibacterials to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Founded in March 2008 as a spin-out from the John Innes Centre and Plant Biosciences Limited, the company is headquartered at Norwich Research Park with a registered office in Cambridge and operates with 11–50 employees. Its proprietary Snare™ Technology platform combines bioinformatics-designed Transcription Factor Decoy (TFD) oligonucleotides with a nanoparticle delivery system that transports the oligonucleotides into bacterial pathogens, where they competitively inhibit transcription factors required for bacterial survival. The mechanism is reported to be active against all strains irrespective of resistance, with no resistant strains identified to date.

The company's lead product candidate is a narrow-spectrum agent targeting Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), classified by the US CDC as the most urgent AMR threat, currently in lead optimization with a stated goal of entering first-in-man studies within 3 years. The pipeline also includes an MRSA nasal spray for surgical decolonization developed with the University of East Anglia, plus nanoparticulate formulations for oral gut and topical skin delivery aimed at microbiome applications. Preclinical efficacy has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo against MRSA, E. coli, C. difficile, and P. aeruginosa.

Procarta operates on a licensing and partnership revenue model and is not yet commercial; it is actively seeking pharmaceutical partners and investment to advance its lead compounds across multiple indications. To date the company has raised approximately $14.1M across eight funding rounds between 2007 and 2019, including a $9.19M CARB-X award in 2019 and a Morningside Group-led round in 2010. Founders Dr. Sam Piterson (Chairman) and Prof. Mervyn Bibb discovered the underlying gene-control technology, and CSO Dr. Charles Henderson has filed 15 patents across his career in molecular microbiology.

Name

Procarta Biosystems

Legal name

Procarta Biosystems Ltd

Website

https://procartabio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Procarta Biosystems is a UK preclinical biotech developing nanoparticle-delivered oligonucleotide antibacterials (Snare™ Technology) to combat drug-resistant infections, with a lead CRE agent, an MRSA nasal spray, and microbiome applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Antimicrobial Drug Discovery

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836)

akta.pro primary industry

Lead Optimization & Preclinical Candidate Selection (HLAIALAB)

Keywords

• Antibacterial drug discovery
• Oligonucleotide therapeutics
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Transcription factor decoys
• Nanoparticle drug delivery

Headquarters

HQ city

Norwich

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Licensing and Partnership Revenue: Pre-revenue biotech company seeking pharmaceutical partners for co-development, licensing, or acquisition of its novel antimicrobial technology. Currently in drug discovery/development stage with no commercialized products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

Procarta Biosystems is a pre-revenue drug discovery and development biotech that develops novel oligonucleotide-based antibacterials using its proprietary Snare Technology platform. The platform combines proprietary nanoparticles with transcription factor decoy (TFD) oligonucleotides to block essential bacterial gene expression, producing antibacterials that are active against drug-resistant strains such as MRSA, E. coli, C. difficile, and P. aeruginosa. The company's lead product is a narrow-spectrum agent targeting Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) currently in lead optimization, with additional pipeline candidates including an MRSA nasal spray and nanoparticulate antibacterials for gut and topical delivery.

Product overview

Procarta Biosystems is a drug discovery and development biotech company that has created an innovative new class of oligonucleotide antimicrobial agents using its proprietary Snare™ Technology platform. The platform combines proprietary nanoparticles capable of delivering oligonucleotide transcription factor decoys (TFD) into bacterial pathogens, with bioinformatics-driven design capabilities. The company's lead product is a narrow-spectrum agent targeting Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), currently in lead optimization. Additional pipeline products include an MRSA nasal spray for surgical decolonization and nanoparticulate antibacterials for oral gut and topical skin delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Snare Technology Platform Proprietary nanoparticle-based platform that delivers oligonucleotide transcription factor decoys (TFD) into bacterial pathogens to inhibit essential genes and prevent bacterial growth, enabling rapid design of narrow- or broad-spectrum antibacterials.
• Narrow-spectrum CRE Agent Lead product candidate for treatment of Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE), considered the most urgent threat by the US CDC, currently in lead optimization.
• MRSA Nasal Spray Anti-bacterial nasal spray using Snare technology to disable MRSA, designed to decolonize patients prior to major surgery.
• Nanoparticulate Antibacterials (Gut/Skin) Nanoparticle-formulated antibacterials with broad-, narrow- or bespoke spectrums designed for oral gut delivery and topical skin application as part of microbiome therapeutic research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Lead product effective in MRSA infection model
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• My Canadian PharmacycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership focused on antibacterial drug impact on the environment and sustainable disposal of medications, including burn or limited to sustainable disposal. Also covers pharmacodynamics of antiviral and antibacterial medications. Co-development of proprietary nanoparticles.
• University of East Anglia (UEA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research project funded by UEA Medical School to adapt MRSA treatment technology for use as nasal spray. Procarta has built strong collaborative network at Norwich Research Park with UEA for translating research to clinic.
• Institute of Food Research (IFR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative network partner at Norwich Research Park for antibacterial research and development.
• Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital (NNUH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative network partner at Norwich Research Park for clinical translation of research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Entasis Therapeutics: Clinical-stage AMR biotech developing targeted antibacterials for drug-resistant Gram-negative infections including CRE. Highly comparable as a small-cap, R&D-focused anti-infective company pursuing narrow-spectrum agents against priority pathogens.
• Iterum Therapeutics: Anti-infective biotech developing antibiotics against multidrug-resistant pathogens including CRE and other Gram-negative infections. Comparable in scale, clinical stage, and AMR-focused strategy.
• Nabriva Therapeutics: Anti-infective biotech developing novel antibacterials for resistant community and hospital infections. Comparable as a small public/private anti-infective company with pipeline assets addressing drug-resistant bacteria.
• Paratek Pharmaceuticals: Commercial and development-stage anti-infective company with tetracycline-class antibiotics targeting resistant pathogens. Comparable business model of developing differentiated antibiotics against MDR organisms.
• ContraFect Corporation: Biotech developing novel direct lytic agents (lysins) and other anti-infectives targeting drug-resistant bacteria. Comparable as a small-cap R&D biotech pursuing non-traditional antibacterial mechanisms — a structural parallel to Procarta's novel mechanism.
• Melinta Therapeutics: AMR-focused antibiotic developer with products against resistant Gram-negative and Gram-positive infections. Comparable as an anti-infective R&D biotech; notable as a cautionary tale given its commercial struggles.
• Tetraphase Biosciences: Developed novel tetracycline antibiotics for serious and drug-resistant infections including CRE. Highly comparable as a small AMR-focused biotech; acquired by La Jolla Pharmaceutical in 2020 — illustrates the strategic exit path for Procarta.

Emerging players

• Adaptive Phage Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing phage-based therapies for drug-resistant bacterial infections. Comparable as an emerging developer of non-traditional, biology-based antibacterial approaches against AMR pathogens.
• Seres Therapeutics: Microbiome therapeutics company developing microbiome-based therapies for infections and inflammatory diseases. Comparable for Procarta's microbiome-targeted gut/skin antibacterial pipeline beyond the lead CRE program.
• Vedanta Biosciences: Clinical-stage microbiome therapeutics company developing defined bacterial consortia for recurrent infections and AMR-related indications. Comparable for Procarta's microbiome-focused nanoparticulate antibacterial programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/procarta

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors10 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Procarta Biosystems