Let talk about Ostia Sciences Inc., who is quietly cooking up something that might just rewrite how we think about microbes, immunity, and the future of medicine, all from a nondescript lab space on Edward Street in Toronto’s Discovery District.
Founded in 2020 as a University of Toronto spinout, Ostia Sciences Inc.’s not trying to win headlines. They’re too busy engineering the world’s first phosphorylated lantibiotic, yes, that’s real science, not sci-fi. The lead microbe? Salivaricin 10, produced by Streptococcus salivarius SALI-10. It targets pathogens with sniper-like precision while leaving the good bacteria untouched. This isn’t yogurt aisle fluff. This is therapeutic-grade, IP-protected biotech built for respiratory and oral diseases that pharma hasn’t known how to fix, until now.
They just locked in CAD $1.46M in seed funding, announced July 18, 2025 but closed as of December 31, 2024. Real money backed by real science. And not all of it came with equity strings attached, another $393K in non-dilutive grants, including $350K from Natural Products Canada’s Proof-of-Concept program. It’s a lean, targeted raise that says more about credibility than cash burn.
Credit where it’s due: Dr. Abdelahhad Barbour, Ostia’s CEO and Co-Founder, doesn’t just have the resume, PhD in Microbiology, postdoc at U of T, expert in probiotics, neutrophils, and antimicrobial peptides, he has the stamina to grind through the chaos of translational science. Alongside him? Dr. Michael Glogauer, CSO and Co-Founder, a heavyweight in oral immunology, head of Dentistry at University Health Network, and Canada’s version of the Swiss Army Knife for dental oncology. The type of leadership that knows how to push a product from bench to bedside without losing the thread.
They’ve locked arms with Lallemand’s Expert’Biome CDMO to scale production to 150L. cGMP pharma standards, 90 years of fermentation mastery, and zero shortcuts. Ostia’s not guessing if they can manufacture at scale. They’re proving it, fermenter by fermenter.
SALI-10 enters clinical trials soon with early data expected by year-end 2025. If successful, it could hit market by 2026, targeting everything from halitosis to cancer-related oral complications. That’s not niche. That’s need.
And here’s the quiet flex: this isn’t a one-microbe wonder. Ostia’s platform can uncover, characterize, and develop a portfolio of microbiome-derived therapeutics with both antimicrobial and immunomodulatory firepower. They’re not just treating symptoms, they’re designing microbial medicine that doesn’t need a second act.
