Personal stories from our investor community

Hear from Lisa, one of our valued investors to discuss her journey, personal motivations for supporting MetalloBio, and why she believes tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global priority.

What first drew you to MetalloBio?

Metallobio first appeared on my radar after hearing about the inspirational story of Dr Kirsty Smitten. This was quickly followed by a video call with Kirsty in which she blew me away with her intellect, her drive and her burning desire to protect the health of the global population.

I realised, in hindsight, that she was tirelessly promoting Metallobio and interacting with investors despite being very seriously ill. 

She sadly passed away just a few months after our call. She had big dreams, big ambitions, a big heart and left a big legacy for the Metallobio team.

Your family has experienced recurrent UTIs from prolonged catheter use. Could you tell us a bit more about that experience and the impact it had?

A few of my elderly relatives were catheterised for prolonged periods and I saw first-hand the negative impact that the recurrent UTIs had on both their physical and mental health.

The diagnosis of each UTI was often slow because the mental confusion that usually accompanied each flare-up would often be mistaken for dementia in elderly patients. So they would suffer extreme physical discomfort without being coherent enough to accurately describe their symptoms to medical professionals. 

The mental confusion caused them to stop drinking which, in turn, triggered a more severe delirium accompanied by agitation and hallucinations. The antibiotics that they were eventually prescribed to clear each infection had side-effects, such as digestive issues, which presented yet more medical challenges. 

One of these relatives eventually died of urosepsis as a result of a UTI.

In your opinion, why should the average person care about antibiotic resistance (AMR)?

I think everyone should be concerned about AMR because, regardless of our age or gender, we are all heavily reliant on antibiotics to treat bacterial infections ranging from UTIs to respiratory infections to abscesses to infected wounds, etc.

I think the Covid epidemic (although not bacterial) demonstrated just how fragile our existence is when it comes to global health threats. AMR is a global issue that potentially impacts every single person on the planet.

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What is the one major change you hope your investment brings to the world?

I hope it helps to kick-start more research into AMR and I hope that the common bacterial infections that are currently treatable continue to be treatable, or even preventable, in the future.

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What would you say to someone else considering joining this mission?

I feel that an investment in MetalloBio delivers a dual return because it combines vital medical research with a potential financial return.

As an investor I feel like I'm playing a small part in helping to address one of the biggest health challenges facing our generation.