Why We Invested: Resistomap
Advancing biosecurity through antibiotic resistance intelligence
Ananda Impact Ventures has led a Seed investment round in Resistomap, a Finnish startup providing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) intelligence.
Resistomap has embarked on a mission to combat the growing threat of antimicrobial resistance by building an extensive AMR intelligence platform. Through their innovative approach, they empower a wide range of stakeholders — from wastewater treatment facilities and healthcare institutions to pharmaceutical giants and public authorities — with cutting-edge, data-driven insights. These insights have the power to reshape and revolutionise our entire approach to combating AMR, paving the way to save millions of lives.
The Antibiotic Resistance Crisis — the quiet pandemic
Antibiotics have revolutionised modern medicine, ushering in an era where bacterial infections could be effectively vanquished, ultimately saving innumerable lives. However, their widespread and often indiscriminate usage has birthed a formidable adversary: antibiotic-resistant bacteria, one of the most significant global health threats of our time. Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria evolve and become resistant to the very drugs designed to combat them. As a result, once-treatable infections now pose increasingly difficult to manage, leading to elevated mortality rates and soaring healthcare costs. Failure to take decisive action in the face of this growing crisis may cast a grim shadow over our future. Projections indicate that AMR could exact a devastating toll, claiming up to 10 million lives annually and imposing colossal economic burdens exceeding $100 trillion by the year 2050.
Unfortunately, relying solely on the development and launch of new antibiotics won’t suffice to tackle this pressing issue. The pace at which antibiotic resistance is advancing surpasses our ability to introduce new drugs to the market, resulting in a troubling 7–10 year gap, and even then new resistance may emerge. Current strategies and interventions in place to combat AMR are inadequate and unable to curb its rapid spread. A significant factor exacerbating this shortfall is our limited knowledge of the presence and propagation of AMR, a consequence of the inadequacies in today’s surveillance programs.
Effectively addressing antibiotic resistance requires the adoption of a One Health approach — an approach that recognizes the intricate interplay between human health, animal health, and the environment. Antibiotic resistance is not limited to affecting humans alone; it extends its reach to impact animals on farms pumped with antibiotics and their waste spreads resistance into downstream human populations. It’s not said enough, biology and disease pathogens don’t respect borders. We only need to look at the viral covid-19 pandemic to see this in action. Resistomap demonstrates a profound grasp of this interconnectedness and is committed to monitoring antibiotic resistance across all sectors and geographies.
Resistomap’s vital role in combating disease pathogens
Back in 2018, Resistomap emerged as a data-driven laboratory service, primarily serving research institutions and academic bodies. Its core mission was to empower customers with the ability to monitor antibiotic resistance levels and the presence of pathogens in wastewater.
Fast forward to the present, and Resistomap is poised for a remarkable shift. With the new funding, it’s morphing from a provider of monitoring insights into a dynamic intelligence platform. This evolution encompasses the integration of early-warning systems, predictions on the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and personalized recommendations for reducing its dissemination.
This enhanced product offering positions Resistomap to extend its reach beyond its traditional research-centric user base. Now, it’s set to cater to a broader spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), hospitals, long-term care facilities, pharmaceutical companies, agri- and aquaculture industries, food safety agencies, as well as public health authorities. These diverse sectors are driven by various motivations, spanning cost savings, regulatory compliance, the development of new drugs, and more. Nonetheless, they all share a common need; the hunger for actionable insights into antibiotic resistance and the ability to respond effectively to outbreaks, all while striving to prevent their emergence.
Guided by the visionary leadership of its founder and CEO, Windi Muziasari, Resistomap has meticulously crafted one of the most extensive environmental AMR database to date. Windi, a globally recognised authority and advocate in the realm of AMR, holds a PhD in microbiology and biotechnology and boasts over a decade of experience in antibiotic resistance research.
But Resistomap’s ambitions don’t stop at AMR alone. Their ultimate vision extends to transforming into a comprehensive biosecurity platform, one that tackles a wide spectrum of disease-causing pathogens, including those both known and those yet to be discovered.
Resistomap and Ananda: A partnership for global health
Antimicrobial resistance is intricately linked to human activities and exhibits intricate ties with climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Ananda has always taken a holistic perspective on planetary boundaries, expanding our focus beyond greenhouse gas emissions in our fight against climate change. In this broader context, we found an immediate alignment with Resistomap’s One Health approach.
Moreover, Resistomap’s mission and approach seamlessly complement our existing investments in environmental health, such as our support for NatureMetrics, a provider of actionable nature data with a focus on biodiversity. Our involvement with NatureMetrics has afforded us valuable insights into the transformation of expert-driven monitoring services into all-encompassing, technology-driven intelligence solutions.
In the words of Zoe Peden, Partner at Ananda Impact Ventures, “Our partnership with Resistomap seamlessly fits with our commitment to addressing multi-faceted systemic global challenges. We believe that by fostering collaboration and innovation in the environmental health sector, we will make great strides toward a healthier and more sustainable future.”
For too long, antibiotic resistance has loomed as a silent pandemic. Ananda takes great pride in standing alongside Resistomap, championing the cause to shatter this silence and elevate the topic to the forefront of decision-making worldwide. Resistomap paves the way for 21st-century biosecurity solutions, aligning forces with a coalition of partners to address what truly matters. As we step into the century of biology, together, we’re forging a path toward a brighter, safer future.
We are always interested in innovative and game-changing solutions to tackle societal and environmental challenges. Are you an entrepreneur with a big vision and mission to create something extraordinary? Please get in touch!
