OXFORD University Innovation, the research commercialisation company of Oxford University, is launching a new biotech spinout, Oxford Antibiotics.

The company plans to develop a new drug in the multi-billion-pound antibiotic market, targeting MRSA, infectious endocarditis, SSSI, and healthcare-associated pneumonia.

It is looking to secure £3m in seed funding.

The move is part of the university’s drive to tackle antibiotic resistance, which claims 700,000 lives a year.