)
Brisbane-based biotech startup Eclipse Ingredients has emerged from stealth after raising more than $7 million to unlock previously inaccessible health ingredients for global markets, starting with the immune-boosting protein lactoferrin which is found naturally in breast milk.
Traditional lactoferrin extraction requires 10,000 litres of cow's milk to produce just one kilogram, making it unsustainable, expensive and difficult to scale.
However, Eclipse Ingredients has found a way to use engineered yeast to sustainably produce human lactoferrin at an industrial scale within a highly controlled environment.
Founded by its CEO Siobhan Coster and incubated within the CSIRO, Eclipse has raised $7 million with Silicon Valley venture capital firm AgFunder among its other key backers, including $2.9 million from the Commonwealth Government delivered by Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator.
Coster has previously described lactoferrin markets as wildly fluctuating, with these high and unpredictable costs creating a barrier to including the functional ingredient in more products. Becoming a mother has given this problem, which has frustrated the health industry for decades, new meaning for the entrepreneur.
"Becoming a mother has made Eclipse's mission more personal. Ingredients like human lactoferrin offer incredible health benefits across all life stages - including for babies - yet they've been locked away," says Coster, a qualified dietitian and MBA graduate who transformed Eclipse from concept to funded company in partnership with CSIRO.
"We're not just making ingredients, we're transforming what's possible when nature's most powerful compounds become accessible at scale.
"We've built Eclipse’s platform to be super capital-efficient, leveraging existing infrastructure and expertise here in Australia at QUT, UQ and CSIRO. That means we can stay laser-focused on what matters…our people, our patents and breakthrough science."
Related story: QLD startup Eclipse targets baby formula market after replicating breast milk protein
In addition to Eclipse's methods for manufacturing lactoferrin which don't depend on the associated carbon emissions of dairy farming, the company also emphasises that bovine lactoferrin is structurally different from what human bodies naturally produce and recognise.
Despite decades of research proving lactoferrin's benefits, such asfighting inflammation and infection, supporting immune health and the microbiome, and boosting iron absorption, it remains absent from products that could benefit millions.
Coster believes Eclipse is strategically positioned to access APAC's massive health ingredient markets, and will leverage its world-class biotech expertise to cement Australia as a global leader in ingredient innovation.
"Eclipse's technology platform unlocks the immense potential of human lactoferrin at commercial scale," adds AgFunder founding partner Michael Dean.
"By solving a critical bottleneck for the production of complex functional proteins, we believe they are positioned to disrupt the global wellness and skincare markets. For AgFunder, Eclipse represents a pivotal investment in the future of accessible health."
The company, which is based at QUT Gardens Point, plans to launch its first commercial products featuring human lactoferrin in 2027, starting with skincare applications.
The funding achievement and pathway to launch represents significant progress for Eclipse since Coster won the Judge's Award at the University of Queensland's (UQ) annual ilab Accelerator Pitch Night in March 2022.
)
