Dalan Animal Health, a biotech startup that makes an oral vaccine for bees, has raised $3.55 million in seed funding, the company told Axios EXCLUSIVELY.

Important reasons: Dalan was one of the first companies to develop an effective insect vaccine that could change the way we think about sustainable agricultural production.

detail: At One Ventures and Veterinary Angel Network for Entrepreneurs led the all-equity round at private valuations. The round closed about two weeks ago, she said, said CEO Annette Kleiser. Tell Axios.

• At One Ventures also won a seat on the Observer Board as part of the round.

Usage: Dalan Animal Health has created an oral vaccine for American Foulbrood, a bacterial disease that spreads between bee colonies.

• Vaccines are administered to colony queens to protect larvae before they hatch in a process called transgenerational immune priming.
• Dalan hopes to distribute the vaccine to commercial beekeepers in the US and expand to Canada and internationally in 2023 according to their respective approval processes.

State of play: Bees should be considered in the same category as livestock and other production animals, but their insect status hinders vaccine research and development, says Kleiser.

• Until recently, it was thought that insects like bees could not be vaccinated against pathogens because they lack an immune system.
• Honeybees are pollinators and therefore vital to the ecosystem.

To the point: “We know the bees are dying. It’s a problem to raise your hand and say we can’t solve it, but we’re not going to deal with climate change or pesticide use overnight. A vaccine can be done soon.” says Kleiser.