Trellis Bioscience, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing native human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat intractable infectious diseases, has announced the closing of a $9 million Series C financing. This funding will support completion of the Company's Phase 2 trial of calpurbatug (TRL1068), an investigational mAb treatment for chronic prosthetic joint infections (PJI).

The Series C received continued support from existing investors, including New Science Ventures and Easton Capital, while attracting new investors AMR Action Fund (AMRAF), The Doctor Group of Dallas, Texas, and orthopedic surgeons with extensive expertise in PJI from centers of excellence across the United States. This brings Trellis's total equity funding to approximately $35 million, matched by a similar amount of non-dilutive grant support from NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease) and CARB-X (Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator, a global nonprofit partnership). In conjunction with AMRAF's investment, Junjun Gao, PhD, Principal, has been appointed to the Trellis Board of Directors, bringing valuable sector expertise to the company's leadership.

Trellis developed a proprietary technology for cloning antibodies, including calpurbatug (TRL1068), from human white blood cells. Human antibodies have a lower failure rate due to toxicity than any other drug class. Applied to infectious diseases, the technology has allowed discovery of antibodies from patients who have recovered from the disease. In addition to the lead biofilm disruption program, Trellis's pipeline includes antiviral antibodies (one of which is in a clinical trial) targeting major unmet medical needs.