Morrisville clinical-stage biotech engineering bacteriophage therapeutics with CRISPR-Cas3 payloads for antimicrobial-resistant bacterial infections and microbiome / inflammatory diseases.
At a glance
- Founded: 2015
- HQ: Morrisville
- Sector: Biotech
- Stage: Series B
- Total raised: $35M
- Affiliation: NC State
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Sourced company notes 4 topics
Notes on Locus Biosciences · last checked Oct 1, 2026
Overview
Morrisville-based clinical-stage biotech, an NC State University spinout founded in 2015 to develop precision antibacterial therapies.
Science
The crPhage platform engineers bacteriophages to deliver a CRISPR-Cas3 payload that destroys a target pathogen's DNA, adding a sequence-specific kill on top of natural phage lysis while sparing the surrounding microbiome; the CRISPR-Cas3 patent estate is co-licensed from NC State and Duke. Lead candidate LBP-EC01, a phage cocktail for drug-resistant E. coli urinary tract infection, is in the ELIMINATE registrational Phase 2/3 trial (NCT05488340); Part 1 results were published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases in August 2024 and Part 2 dosing began the same month. LBP-PA01 targets antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas pneumonia in a Phase 1b funded by a January 2026 NIH/NIAID award.
Funding
2022 $35M Series B (Artis Ventures, Tencent, Viking Global Investors, J&J Innovation-JJDC, Discovery Innovations), non-dilutive BARDA and NIAID support, and 2025 and 2026 collaborations with Viatris (ophthalmic infections) and the NIH.
Team
Co-founders: CEO Paul Garofolo (ex-Patheon, Harvard Business School), NC State CRISPR scientists Rodolphe Barrangou and Chase Beisel, and founding CSO Dave Ousterout (Duke).
Where the team studied
Filter the directory by schoolDuke University
- Dave OusteroutAlumPh.D., Biomedical Engineering
North Carolina State University
- Chase BeiselFacultyAssistant Professor (later Associate Professor with tenure), Department of Chemical and Biomolecular EngineeringSource
- Paul GarofoloFacultyVisiting Professor, Poole College of ManagementSource
- Rodolphe BarrangouFacultyProfessor of Food ScienceSource
Each line was checked against a primary source. Founder education is recorded for part of the directory, so a name missing here is a gap in what has been checked, not a statement that they studied somewhere else. Tell me what is missing.
Listed roles
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