A local startup has made several major moves.
Birmingham biotech startup ResBiotic has spun out its drug development arm Alveolus Bio and has launched its first consumer health product called resB Lung Support. The company has also raised $4.5 million in seed funding from a group of local strategic investors.
Alveolus Bio is pursuing the development of novel FDA-approved therapeutics to address chronic respiratory illnesses. The company’s intellectual property portfolio includes a recently secured patent on live biotherapeutics for the treatment of lung disease in infants, children and adults. The Alveolus Bio pipeline includes drugs for respiratory conditions, including COPD, pulmonary arterial hypertension, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
The consumer nutrition arm of ResBiotic will still continue to focus on health and wellness products in the dietary supplement category. The company’s first product, resB Lung Support, is an oral supplement that combines respiratory-specific probiotic strains with bioactive botanicals to support lung health.
“Considering the therapeutic potential of microbiome-based products for lung health, it was essential that we create a subsidiary company to support a pharmaceutical pipeline separate from our consumer nutrition division,” said Dr. C. Vivek Lal, founder of ResBiotic and Alveolus. “Our pharmaceutical arm is developing biotherapeutics for specific chronic respiratory conditions. Meanwhile, the consumer group remains focused on science-backed proactive products that anyone concerned about their lung health can use and benefit from today.”
ResBiotic and Alveolus Bio were founded based on more than a decade of respiratory and microbiome research at UAB. ResBiotic also raised $3 million from a private equity syndicate led by Timberline Holdings earlier this year.
