Santero Therapeutics

Santero Therapeutics is developing an innovative approach to combating antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and antibiotic resistance in particular. The company wants to improve global health by developing innovative and safe antibiotics to eradicate multidrug-resistant deadly pathogens This field of research is one of the world's major public health challenges, as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top ten threats to humanity, according to the United Nations. The number of deaths associated with AMR is estimated to be around 5 million per year worldwide in 2020, a figure that could double by 2050, and even reach several tens of millions of associated deaths according to recent scientific articles. Santero Therapeutic’s mission is to discover and validate first-in-class small molecules active against life-threatening multidrug-resistant pathogens. Its ambition is to set up a technological platform enabling the development of a whole range of new-generation antibiotics, effective against both Gram-positive bacteria (staphylococcus aureus, streptococcus, clostridium.) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae.), which present a serious public health problem, particularly in hospitals. The company is making rapid progress and is now entering the “lead optimization” phase, which is necessary before considering any human trials. Santero Therapeutics SRL is a spin-off of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) founded in 2021 by Professors Cédric Govaerts, PhD and Abel Garcia-Pino, PhD. Based in Mont-Saint-Guibert, it employs around fifteen people.