MetalloBio

What MetalloBio does

MetalloBio is a University of Sheffield spinout founded in March 2021 that develops a novel class of broad-spectrum antibacterial agents based on inorganic ruthenium-nitrogen chemistry. The company operates two lead programmes: a pharmaceutical programme centred on KLS-116, a di-nuclear ruthenium complex targeting complicated bacterial infections including cUTIs, HAP, and VAP; and a non-pharmaceutical programme centred on KLS-219, a mono-nuclear ruthenium complex formulated into antimicrobial coatings for catheters and orthopaedic implants. The underlying platform is described as the first major innovation in antibiotic design in nearly 50 years, with reported properties including biofilm penetration, thermostability up to 350°C, low human-cell toxicity, no observed emergence of genetic resistance, and in vitro efficacy up to 80,000x that of marketed products across WHO ESKAPE pathogens.

The company is pre-revenue and intends to commercialise through dual channels: out-licensing KLS-116 to a large pharmaceutical company after Phase 2 clinical development, and partnering with medical device manufacturers for KLS-219 coatings where partners handle regulatory submissions and commercialisation. A third revenue pathway targets emerging antibiotic subscription reimbursement models (UK NHS subscription at ~£24M per antibiotic per year, with analogous frameworks in the EU, Italy, US PASTEUR Act, Australia, and Switzerland). To date, MetalloBio has raised approximately $2M in non-dilutive funding (Innovate UK, INCATE) plus a £401K pre-series A equity round in May 2026 from Oxford Technology Management, WOTAN, and Republic Europe.

The company is headquartered in Sheffield, UK, has 1–10 employees, and holds composition-of-matter patents granted in 32 countries. Leadership includes CEO Dr Michael Murray (who assumed the role after the October 2023 death of co-founder Dr Kirsty Smitten), Chairman Dr Eddy Littler, and Chief Scientific Advisor and co-founder Professor Jim Thomas of the University of Sheffield.

Name

MetalloBio

Legal name

Metallobio Ltd.

Website

https://metallobio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MetalloBio is a University of Sheffield spinout developing a novel class of ruthenium-based antibacterial compounds for complicated bacterial infections and antimicrobial medical device coatings. The pre-revenue biotech targets pharmaceutical licensing, medical device partnerships, and emerging antibiotic subscription reimbursement models.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Antimicrobial Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Microbiome Modulating Small Molecules & Antibiotic Alternatives (HLAAAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Engineered Microbial Therapeutics (synthetic biology, gene circuits) (HLAAAFAD)

Keywords

• Antimicrobial drug development
• Ruthenium-based therapeutics
• Novel antibiotic compounds
• Medical device coatings
• Biopharmaceutical research

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Non-dilutive Funding: Grants from Innovate UK, INCATE, and other government/institutional funding bodies. Since inception in early 2021, raised approximately $2 million in non-dilutive funding.
2. Equity Investment: Pre-series A equity investment round raising over £401K in 2026 from Oxford Technology Management, WOTAN angel network, and Republic Europe crowdfunding campaign. First equity round in 2024.
3. Pharma Licensing (Series 1): Long-term revenue through licensing lead Series 1 compound (KLS-116) to go-to-market pharma company after Phase 2 trials for complicated bacterial infections including cUTIs, HAP, and VAP.
4. Medical Device Coatings (Series 2): Nearer-term revenue through partnering with medical device companies. MetalloBio provides proprietary antibiotic-containing coatings and additives; partners handle regulatory submissions and commercialisation.
5. Subscription Model Revenue: Emerging UK and international antibiotic subscription models provide guaranteed annual fees for approved antimicrobials. UK system returns ~£24 million per year per antibiotic. Projected $350-500 million potential revenue for developmental antibiotics launching in 2030s.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

MetalloBio is a biotechnology company developing novel antimicrobial compounds based on proprietary ruthenium chemistry. Its portfolio includes KLS-116, a therapeutic antibiotic candidate for resistant bacterial infections, and KLS-219, an antimicrobial coating intended for medical device applications. The company operates as a pre-revenue R&D-stage entity positioned to out-license its compounds to larger pharmaceutical and medical device partners.

Product overview

MetalloBio is an antimicrobials development company offering a dual-track product portfolio based on a proprietary inorganic chemistry platform. The company's flagship offerings include KLS-116 (lead pharmaceutical compound for systemic antibiotic treatment) and KLS-219 (lead non-pharma compound for antimicrobial coatings), supported by their respective Series 1 and Series 2 compound platforms. Series 1 compounds (pharma programme) target complicated bacterial infections through novel broad-spectrum antibiotics, while Series 2 compounds (non-pharma programme) provide antibacterial coatings for medical devices such as catheters and joint implants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• KLS-116 Therapeutic antimicrobial compound based on proprietary ruthenium chemistry, intended to address drug-resistant bacterial infections. Targeted at pharmaceutical partners for further development and commercialization.
• KLS-219 Antimicrobial coating formulation based on proprietary ruthenium chemistry, designed for application to medical devices to reduce device-associated infections. Targeted at medical device manufacturers for integration into their product lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80,000x more effective than currently marketed products in laboratory settings
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Glox TherapeuticsminorOthers · 1 April 2025Separate antibiotics research company where MetalloBio's CEO Dr Michael Murray serves as Chair of the Board. Represents industry network connection rather than direct commercial partnership.
• Dr Adam Varney / Nottingham Trent University (MTIF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Scientific collaborator developing novel anti-biofilm catheter coatings in collaboration with MetalloBio. Dr Varney received FTMA Award and NBIC grant for this collaboration. Works at Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF) at Nottingham Trent University.
• National Biofilms Innovation Centre (NBIC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025Awarded Dr Adam Varney an NBIC grant for projects improving understanding of or providing solutions to biofilm challenges. MetalloBio presenting at NBIC Biofilm Research and Innovation Summit 2026 about collaborations and funding received from NBIC.
• University of Sheffield - Department of ChemistrycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2021MetalloBio is a University of Sheffield spinout founded by Dr Kirsty Smitten and Professor Jim Thomas from the Department of Chemistry. Professor Thomas continues as Professor of Bioinorganic Chemistry and Chief Scientific Advisor. Research originated from academic work at Sheffield.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Shionogi & Co. Large Japanese pharmaceutical company with one of the strongest commercial antibiotic franchises (cefiderocol/Fetcroja) and a long-standing commitment to AMR innovation — a representative incumbent that is the prototypical global partner MetalloBio's Series 1 programme is structured to license into.
• GSK: Top-tier global pharmaceutical and vaccines company with active investment in antibiotic stewardship and AMR-relevant late-stage assets through its AMR Action Fund participation. Comparable as the kind of large-pharma counterparty that MetalloBio's enterprise sales-led GTM is designed to engage.

Direct peers

• Cidara Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing antifungal Cloudbreak conjugates and antibacterial immunotherapies for severe infections. Comparable as a small-cap anti-infectives specialist taking a fundamentally different mechanism to market against the same AMR backdrop.
• Paratek Pharmaceuticals: Specialty antibiotics company (Nuzyra/omadacycline) targeting resistant infections including cUTI and HABP — direct overlap with MetalloBio's Series 1 lead. Comparable as another small antibiotics company that successfully navigated FDA approval and partnered commercialization.
• Nabriva Therapeutics: Small-cap antibiotic developer (lefamulin/Xenleta) for community-acquired pneumonia and other resistant infections. Closely analogous to MetalloBio as a focused, single-platform antibiotic company pursuing licensing economics from breakthrough chemistry.
• Melinta Therapeutics: Antibiotic-focused company (Baxdra/delafloxacin) serving resistant-infection patients in hospital settings — overlap with MetalloBio's hospital-cUTI/complicated-infection focus. Notable as a cautionary-comparable that demonstrated both the commercial promise and the financial fragility of small-cap antibiotics companies.
• Entasis Therapeutics: Pure-play antibacterial company developing targeted therapies for serious multidrug-resistant infections (acquired by Innoviva). Same target indication universe (cUTIs, HABP/VABP) and same go-to-market of licensing to big pharma, making it a near-twin business model peer.
• Iterum Therapeutics: Clinical-stage public biotech developing antibiotics against resistant Gram-negative pathogens, including complicated UTIs — the exact indication MetalloBio's KLS-116 targets. Most comparable on business model, indication overlap, and small-cap antibiotics development trajectory.
• VenatoRx Pharmaceuticals: Private anti-infective company developing both traditional antibiotics and novel β-lactamase inhibitors for resistant Gram-negative infections — same dual programme structure and same licensing-oriented model as MetalloBio (acquired by Innoviva in 2024).
• ContraFect Corporation: Clinical-stage biotech developing direct lytic agents (lysins and amurin peptides) as novel anti-infectives against resistant pathogens. Comparable as another alternative-mechanism antimicrobial developer pursuing a non-traditional chemistry/biology approach to AMR.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/metallobio
• Instagraminstagram.com/metallobiolimited
• TikToktiktok.com/@metallobiolimited
• Xx.com/biometallo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors3 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 MetalloBio