FOLIUM Science is a UK-based bioscience business that was founded in 2015 by a team of passionate scientists and entrepreneurs who have a vision to apply their new technology to transform farming.
Buoyed by exciting preliminary proof of concept data, the growing business set up research and development laboratories in 2017 at the UNIT DX Science Incubator in Bristol, a specialist laboratory facility with science-focused business support.
FOLIUM Science’s innovative and patented technology is called Guided Biotics ™.
Guided Biotics™ will dramatically reduce the reliance upon antibiotics in animal rearing. This is very important because many bacteria are resistant to antibiotics, meaning that antibiotics are becoming less effective in combatting infections in animals. This has implications for human health too because many of the bacteria that affect animals can also affect humans. Sadly, 700,000 people a year die due to the failure of antibiotic treatment, and this is forecast to rise as more bacteria become antibiotic-resistant.
New technology to replace antibiotics is urgently needed.
FOLIUM Science is developing products that can be fed to chickens, cattle, or pigs that will not only reduce the number of undesirable bacteria in their digestive systems but also reduce dramatically the need to use antibiotics. This means animal health improves without the use of antibiotics, and there is less risk of bacterial infections reaching the food we eat.
“We chose to be based in Bristol partly because of the top-quality scientific support from Bristol University and partly because Bristol is a vibrant city that offers a lot for a young team and a business such as ours,” says CEO Ed Fuchs. “The science ecosystem that has developed at Unit DX is a perfect starting point and launch pad for our research.”
FOLIUM Science’s technology has been gaining significant attention in the last 12 months. Innovate UK, the UK’s innovation agency, has already awarded three substantial grants to support the work, and the business was selected from over 250 entrants to be
part of the Pearse Lyons Accelerator, a support programme for young businesses sponsored by Alltech, the multinational animal-feed business.
The media has also shown much interest; numerous press interviews have taken place with the agricultural and mainstream publications, including the highly regarded Forbes magazine.
The FOLIUM Science team at Unit DX is now comprised of ten highly qualified scientists supported by Chief Scientific Officer Professor Martin Woodward, Chair of Microbiome Studies at the University of Reading with 40 years of expertise in veterinary microbiology, and by Chief Technical Officer Dr Hadden Graham, bioscientist and renowned expert in the animal-feed industry.
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