Prime Mover Profile: Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser

Dalan Animal Health CEO Annette Kleiser has more than 20 years of experience in business development, start-up formation, corporate strategy development and alliance management, both in university technology transfer and the biotechnology industry. Prime Movers Lab spoke to Annette this week about the biggest challenges that startup founders have to overcome and the health of the American bee population. Here is the full interview.

Can you tell me a bit about your background?

I was born and raised in a beautiful medieval town in a wine-growing region in Germany, close to the French border. That’s what gave me my interest in cultural fusion, my love of community, and, of course, my taste for wine.

What inspired you to launch Dalan Animal Health?

I had been working with universities to translate research into real-world products when I met Dalial Freitak at the University of Helsinki. Dalial shared with me her work and the idea of a bee vaccine. I was so thrilled by the possibility of developing cutting-edge science to help solve a huge global problem.

What challenges are facing bees and farmers who rely on pollination?

Bees and farmers who rely on them for crop pollination face a lot of challenges. Pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, diseases, parasites, predators, are all significant threats. However, diseases are particularly challenging. Worldwide, bees are struggling to cope with bacterial fungal and viral diseases much like other animals.

The same diseases exist around the world and bacterial diseases such as American and European Foulbrood and Deformed Wind Virus (a viral infection that cripples the wings) have been found in hives in Asia, across the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Diseases are believed to be a contributor to colony collapse disorder. Subclinical infections stress colonies and make them more vulnerable and less capable to deal with a changing and hostile environment. All of this leads to significant losses of bee colonies across the world. Not only is it very labor intensive to restore colonies, the loss of income can bring operations to their knees. Farmers who depend on bees for pollination can face decreased crop yields as a result, which has implications not only for their livelihoods but also for food security globally. Our vaccine and platform technology are working toward a new approach to insect health, changing how we care for honeybees and offering innovative solutions to protect pollinators and promote sustainable agriculture. Whether we like insects or not, we do need them to survive.

Dalan Animal Health’s vaccine for American foulbrood is the first vaccine for bees approved by the USDA. Why is this so important?

Our vaccine’s approval by the USDA marks a significant milestone in insect health. Our vaccine is not only the first step toward offering a sustainable and responsible solution to protect bees, but it opens the door to finding solutions to protect other insects like those used in alternative protein production.

Bee are a critical link in our food supply chain. A third of our food that we eat depends on pollination. There would not be a single almond without bees. Most nutrient rich fruits and vegetables need pollinators. For large-scale farming with high yields, we cannot rely on wild pollinators alone. We need commercially maintained honeybee colonies. Hundreds of thousands of jobs, billions of dollars in agriculture revenue rely on these little animals. Yet, they are completely neglected by the animal health industry. Every poultry producer or cattle rancher can rely on veterinarians to provide the right tools for disease prevention and treatment. Beekeepers have very few tools. Until recently, beekeepers in the US relied on antibiotics that were developed for chickens as a prophylactic tool for preventing brood disease such as American Foulbrood. Antibiotic residue ends up in the honey and overuse is contributing to antibiotic resistance.

We can’t take bees for granted and we need to offer them the same protection and care that we provide to other animals including our pets or livestock. Saving the bees is saving the word.

What was the least expected challenge you’ve overcome to reach this point?

One of the least expected challenges we’ve faced is the unpredictable nature of working with wild animals that cannot be kept in captivity. I’ve dealt with unexpected weather conditions before, but I’ve never had project delays due to hornets, bears, or beehive thieves!

Who inspires you?

A lot of people inspire me, but most recently I’ve been fascinated by the life of Amelia Earhart, perhaps because I visited her childhood home in Atkinson, Kansas. She did not allow a difficult childhood to impede her dreams. My favorite quote of hers is: “The most effective way to do it, is to do it.” I love that.

Have you read anything lately that inspired you?

I recently read “A Wild Sheep Chase” by Haruki Murakami. The book follows a quest filled with unexpected twists and turns. The protagonist relies on a unique blend of patience, determination, and intuition. His story was a reminder of the value of perseverance, curiosity, and the pursuit of the seemingly impossible. Obviously, it reminded me a lot of our journey at Dalan Animal Health.

Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation, and agriculture.

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