2026.08.07

“Even Big Pharma Has Pulled Out of Antibiotic Development”… LyseNTech Selected for Deep Tech TIPS

LyseNTech, a bacteriophage-based antibiotic development company, announced on the 7th that it has been selected for the Deep Tech TIPS program, a private investment-led technology startup support initiative run by Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS).

Deep Tech TIPS is part of the MSS-led “Super Gap Startup 1000+” project. The program selects startups with outstanding technological capabilities and provides up to KRW 1.5 billion in R&D funding over three years, along with up to KRW 200 million for commercialization and marketing.

To qualify for Deep Tech TIPS, companies must first complete a TIPS R&D project and receive a “completed” rating in the final evaluation. They must also secure a recommendation from a TIPS operating partner and demonstrate follow-on investment performance. LyseNTech entered the Deep Tech track following a recommendation from its investor, Synergy IB Investment.

Founded in 2019, LyseNTech was established based on technology transferred from the laboratory of Professor HeeJoon Myung at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. The company is developing antibiotics using endolysins, enzymes derived from bacteriophages.

LyseNTech became the first company in the world to receive approval for a Phase 1 Investigational New Drug (IND) application for an endolysin-based antibiotic targeting Gram-negative bacteria. This year, the company was also selected for an MSS pharmaceutical and biotech venture collaboration project and has begun developing AI-powered designer endolysins in partnership with Bionexus.

“Antimicrobial-resistant bacteria are considered a major global health threat and are often referred to as a ‘silent pandemic,’” a LyseNTech representative said. “By 2050, deaths caused by antimicrobial resistance are projected to reach 10 million annually worldwide, potentially surpassing deaths from cancer.”

The challenge, however, is that the antibiotic development pipeline has been drying up. According to the company, major pharmaceutical companies have withdrawn from antibiotic development because resistance can emerge soon after a new antibiotic is introduced, making it difficult to achieve sufficient commercial returns.

“New antibiotics are expected to have targets and mechanisms of action that are fundamentally different from those of existing antibiotics,” the LyseNTech representative said. “Endolysins, which are recombinant protein antibiotics derived from bacteriophages, meet these requirements.”

link : https://www.mt.co.kr/future/2026/08/07/2026080714264562506