![]()
Quick Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed antibiotic
resistance as one of the mayor challenges of our time. All over the globe,
especially in low-income countries, infectious diseases are the leading cause
of death of children and adolescents and one of the leading causes in adults. The need for a new and better,
easy accessible and sustainable, alternative to antibiotics have never been greater
than now!
Living antibiotics is a natural innovation
developed by Swedish researchers Alejandra Vásquez and Tobias Olofsson. Ten
years ago they discovered the world´s largest concentration of collaborating
beneficial lactic acid bacteria in honeybees. Further research showed that
these bacteria work as living factories of antibiotics, producing not just one
weapon as conventional antibiotics but hundreds of different weapons in order
to fight infections. Living antibiotics revolutionize the concept of
antibiotics; from the static compound, which generates resistance; to the active, which generates protection. In order to
fulfill their dream, which is to develop medicinal products for people in need
worldwide, Alejandra and Tobias need your help!
The movie - Quick Version
Our discovery
Swedish scientists Tobias Olofsson
and Alejandra Vásquez (both PhDs in Engineering at Lund University, Sweden)
discovered in 2005 a great number of, previously unknown beneficial bacteria,
which live and developed together with honeybees in an organ called the honey
crop (used in gathering nectar).
![]()
Honey is a viscous and sweet fluid
produced by honeybees from the nectar of flowers to store it during winter.
Honey is as old as written history, dating back to 2100 B.C. where it was
mentioned in Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform writings, the Hittite code, and
the sacred writings of India and Egypt. It is a worldwide known “folk medicine”
with many unidentified components.
![]()
Alejandra and Tobias’ on-going
research shows that most of the “unidentified compounds” and already found
compounds in honey originate from these discovered bacteria that live inside
honeybees. These good bacteria are called lactic acid bacteria and represent
one of the major bacterial groups applied in the food and Biotech industries.
They found 13 different species, nine lactobacilli and 4 bifidobacteria, which
are present in all honeybees around the world and added to fresh honey at great
quantities. In other words, these massive beneficial bacteria are found within
all honeybees and active in freshly harvested honey found in all continents in
the world. This scientifically explains, why freshly harvest honey has been and
is still used as a folk medicine.
Alejandra and Tobias’ studies show
that these lactic acid bacteria possess unique antimicrobial properties, which
in turn are the key to use them as a potential alternative to antibiotics.
The problem
The increasing antibiotic resistance
is a major worldwide concern and many efforts are on-going in order to find
alternative tools to fight infections. People are looking at natural
environments, but still many search for novel chemical compounds to be used as
future drugs.
![]()
Alexander Fleming discovered
penicillin in 1928. Penicillin is a type of antibiotics that molds of the genus
named Penicillium produce to kill
competing microorganisms such as bacteria, a weapon that is. Penicillin does
not work against all bacteria but only on certain ones. However, there are
other microbes as the bacteria called streptomycetes that produce other kind of
antibiotics, which work against bacteria other than penicillin. To sum, some
bacteria or fungi form a sort of substance that they use as weapons against
competing microbes. Man grows up these small living antibiotic factories,
extracting the substance and make pills for sick people who are suffering from
infections. Then as it is only one single substance in high concentrations pathogens
soon begin to acquire defense against it. This is like, pathogens get bombarded
by one single weapon (for instance arrows) and the pathogens build shields
against all the arrows as the pathogens get used to man's widespread fight with
these weapons (in the form of pills). Then people start pouring in more kinds
of antibiotics into pills, much like shooting arrows and cannon balls at the
same time; then pathogens build thicker walls and form in this way resistance.
Today, a drug company can develop a new antibiotic and after a period of about
10 years, pathogens learn how to protect themselves again, once again becoming
resistant to the developed drug.
Our solution
The greatness of using the
discovered 13 collaborating lactic acid bacteria is that they do not produce
only one weapon (one substance such as antibiotics), but together hundreds of
different weapons (substances). And if the lactic acid bacteria are used viable
(which we always do) then they can choose how much of what weapons are needed
and produce them depending on the closest-threatening pathogen. Like a clever
strategy!
![]()
Our way of thinking is very
controversial. We want to use viable good bacteria in high amounts as small
weapon factories, which produce only what is needed, without creating
resistance.
This idea is not compatible with
today's big international efforts to find new antibiotics. Nor is it accepted
that we as researchers and entrepreneurs go completely against already
developed structures. We were young when we made the discovery and to this day
we have no established structures behind our ideas, such as a well-known
university professor or a pharmaceutical company.
The concept is revolutionary and the
lactic acid bacteria are simply too good to dump them at a high price. While,
we would instead focus on making a contribution to society and produce natural,
simple and sustainable alternatives to antibiotics that will help people
worldwide. They will do good to all who need them, but we cannot do this
ourselves without financial support, we need help to realize our dream and we
want to share this road with you!
Why hasn’t this been discovered before?
The beneficial bacteria are only
viable outside the bees during a few weeks as in honey harvested from wild bee
colonies by honey hunters. They are not present in any mature honey or honey
derived products harvested through beekeeping, which have replaced honey
hunting today in most parts of the world. The environment in honey is so harsh
that all traces from the lactic acid bacteria vanish after a short while.
What would we like to do?
It is of crucial importance to find
new natural, ecological and sustainable alternatives in fighting antibiotics
resistance.
We have the capacity to promote
these lactic acid bacteria by a new developed technique and can re-introduce
these into a range of formulations as foods, drinks and or natural based drugs.
Our goal is to use science in guidance by nature. Therefore, we will make
products that are based on the original fresh honey as hunted by honey hunters.
Meaning that the lactic acid bacteria are viable and active in those products.
![]()
Early in our research, we saw the
lactic acid bacteria’s antimicrobial and therapeutic properties. They together
as a community possess extremely good antimicrobial properties against all
dangerous germs tested so far in the laboratory and they even kill pathogens
better than relevant antibiotics.
We know by now after almost 10 years
of research that they together produce a myriad of more than hundreds of
compounds that together are stronger and will challenge future resistance
development.
We will not be able to solve all
problems with antibiotic resistance. But we will be able to decrease this
development if we minimize the global use of antibiotics. For this reason we
have localized key areas into which we can make a difference and these are the
following:
-
Wound management
for humans and animals
-
Mud fever in horses
-
Bovine mastitis
-
Throat infections
and colds
-
Diarrhea caused by
gut infections
- Prevention of American foulbrood in beekeeping
How does this work?
Wild fresh honey has been used as
folk medicine for thousands of years and now we know for the first time in the
history of science why. Wild fresh honey, chased by honey hunters, contains
namely natural millions of beneficial lactic acid bacteria that are very potent
in killing microbes. In ordinary honey or honey-derived products, you find in
stores or from beekeepers, there are no lactic acid bacteria.
We have therefore developed a
technique to multiply these bacteria outside the bees. We multiply the 13
bacteria to high amounts in order to activate and prepare them for delivery.
Our delivery carrier is based on
honey and bee-pollen. These carriers were chosen to mimic their natural
environment, to give the bacteria food during their transportation and to make
them ready for fight.
We would like to deliver tiny
warriors (the lactic acid bacteria) ready to fight against unwanted microbes.
The warriors will need to be carried by something and this is going to be designed
to suit the different environments.
One of the easiest ways to carry our
tiny warriors is using a food vehicle. Therefore we’ll introduce these
bacterial warriors and deliver them by food and beverages containing honey and
bee-pollen. We have been investigating the food vehicles the latest 10 years
and have very good alternatives for that. All vehicles will comprise the tiny
warriors in high numbers prepared in carriers that will be carefully developed
to suit the different environments and to mimic nature.
![]()
![]()
At present
Our recent research in the field
shows that the lactic acid bacteria can be used in the fight against dangerous
bacteria and a case study showed that the lactic acid bacteria in a combination
of honey is more effective than antibiotics.
These novel findings could
revolutionize both the academic world and the pharmaceutical industry. The
discovery and research results have led to attention in media worldwide.
Despite this, the journey has not been without obstacles and still it is
extremely difficult to obtain funding to develop the basic idea; to develop a natural alternative to
antibiotics and spread this worldwide to the people that need it most.
Why will we start to develop a medical alternative for treating wounds?
Whereas honey has a number of uses,
it is very well known in folk medicine for its beneficial actions within the
wound environment. However, our research has shown that the main reason for its
historical use in wounds as a folk medicine is not the “honey” itself but the
presence of the living beneficial bacteria that we discovered.
We would like to start with the
management of wounds as this has a great impact on public health and economy.
It has been estimated that 4 million people in Europe suffer from wounds, which
exceeds the number of patients with cancer and cerebro-vascular disease.
Chronic wounds often remain unhealed for years, and sometimes decades in a
person.
One of the major complications to
the healing of a wound is the substantial presence of unwanted bacteria and
infections. These wound infections are estimated to cost a normal European
hospital €20 million annually. There are also very often reports about overuse
of antibiotics in wound management. Thus, this is of global concern as we are
facing an emerging risk of antibiotic resistance.
Intentions with the crowdfunding
The aim of this crowdfunding project
is to collect financial means of preparing a natural alternative to antibiotics
based on the research on lactic acid bacteria and their applications for
animals and humans, while creating the conditions for social entrepreneurship;
i.e. opportunities to spread the actual products to non-profit organizations.
To reach this purpose we need:
·
To create a natural
solution for antibiotics and thus help people who need a simple and sustainable
alternative. We know that the 13 lactic acid bacteria kill all germs that they
are exposed to. But to gain acceptance, we first and foremost need human
studies to back up our findings.
·
To distribute
knowledge and raise awareness of this folk medicine throughout the world. We
want to back everything up with the historical background by anthropological PhD
studies of indigenous people and cultures that use honey medically in order to
reach the "best practice".
·
To go against the
conventional pharmaceutical industry. We want to give back to the people and do
not want to base the discovery as profit-driven but rather to become a social
enterprise/assistance company. Over time, we want to start a fund for
developing countries.
![]()
Budget
The running costs for reaching the
first goal of the project is 365,000 USD to fund
the two first years and to be able to share products with non-profit
organizations. But the project needs to be funded for a longer time in order to
continuously fight global antibiotic resistance.
The contributions and perks will
cover more research and development, materials, travel expenses,
anthropological studies, production of pilot products and perks, a constant
communication with the funders during the project time and production for
non-profit organizations.
Project owners
The researchers and entrepreneurs
involved are Alejandra Vasquez and Tobias Olofsson, responsible for the
research and development of pilot products. Richard Edbertsson will be in
charge of the anthropology studies and communication of the project.
The project's unique mission
The idea is to develop natural
alternatives to antibiotics, easily available medical products based on the
unique discovery and research by PhD Alejandra Vásquez and PhD Tobias Olofsson;
that wild fresh honey contains the largest concentration of collaborating beneficial
bacteria. And to give back this knowledge to the people that need the once well-known
ancient folk medicine.
Who are we?
![]()
We are at the crossroads between
tradition and innovation. Our products will be created in the encounter between
nature and research.
We sit on a broad knowledge base
that extends between all areas related to the new discovered honeybee lactic
acid bacteria. As researchers with empirical data that supports our statements,
we never guess, but always give an informed answer based on facts.
Innovators and entrepreneurs – In 2007, Tobias and Alejandra started together with the
university a spin-off company with a view to commercialize the applications
of their discovery and translate it into actual products in the areas of
functional foods, veterinary and human medicine. They retained the majority of
the shares in order to be able to fulfill their visions combining research with
entrepreneurship. In 2010 they launched their first product H13 with help of
non-profit organizations in Sweden. H13 is "Wild fresh honey on the go”. It
mimics wild fresh honey and H stands for honey and 13 stands for the 13 living
Lactic Acid Bacteria.
PhD, Alejandra Vásquez – born in
Valparaiso, Chile. She came to Sweden with her parents as a foreigner at the age of 13 in the middle of
the 80s. After a challenging trip she reached her dream to
become a researcher at Lund University, Sweden. She is a Medical Microbiologist
with a PhD in engineering that works with basic and applied microbiological
research and with innovation in mind.
PhD, Tobias Olofsson – born in Höganäs,
Sweden. He grew up in a nature-interested family. His beekeeping grandfather
(Tage Kimblad) introduced him to the world of honeybees and honey. He is a
molecular biologist with a PhD in engineering that works by developing research
ideas and innovation in mind together with Alejandra.
Ethnographer, Rikard Edbertsson – He came in contact with Alejandra
and Tobias a couple of years ago and is a part of their research group as well
as their spin-off company. He holds a M.A. in History and a B.Sc. in Social Anthropology
and is especially interested in the medicinal uses of honey and honey-based
products throughout history. By using ethnographic methods, his aim is to become
a PhD student and examine how indigenous people have traded down knowledge about
the medicinal use of honey as oral history.
Alejandra,
Tobias and Rikard, form the core of Living Antibiotics, and their jointly
competence spans from research to entrepreneurship, from microbiology to the
humanities and from ideas to applications.
Other Ways You Can
Help
If you just can't contribute, please get the word out and make some
noise about our campaign by using the Indiegogo share tools!
HONEY HUNTERS ELIXIR
Have you heard about HONEY HUNTERS ELIXIR? You can pre-order the first edition of HONEY HUNTER´S ELIXIR by selecting the ELIXIR option among the "perks" on the right side of this page!
