LOCUS FOCUS.

• Author: Teater, Barry
• Position: STATE WIDE: Triangle

One of China's biggest conglomerates is backing a Morrisville startup tackling a perplexing problem facing the health care industry. In November, Locus Biosciences raised $19 million to develop antimicrobial drugs to fight infection. San Francisco-based Artis Ventures led the funding, which also included Abstract Ventures of San Francisco and Tencent Holdings, the Chinese internet-investing giant.

At least 2 million Americans annually are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria or funguses--ironically, often while in the hospital--and about 23,000 die from their infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are fewer effective drugs to combat these infections because the overuse and misuse of antibiotics have made microbes resistant to many treatments.

A possible solution to this growing health menace is emerging in the laboratories of Locus, a small biotech company on the fringe of Research Triangle Park. The company's 11 employees are developing precise therapies to kill dangerous germs while sparing harmless or beneficial bacteria.

Paul Garofolo is the company's chairman and chief executive officer. He was chief information officer at Valeant Pharmaceuticals from 2004-08 and held various positions at drug-maker Patheon from 2008-14. The latest funding will support a new drug application to the Food and Drug Administration, human clinical trials in 2019 and a doubling of staff, he says.

Locus was created in 2015 when Garofolo, a visiting professor at N.C. State University's Poole College...