The DuPont Microbiome Venture has entered a strategic investment and partnership with BioMe Oxford Ltd, an early-stage, U.K.-based startup that is developing BioCapture, a “smart, orally delivered capsule that can sample gut microbiota in both humans and animals,” according to the company.
 
DuPont will partner with BioMe Oxford and the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) to further the development of BioCapture. This technology would allow unique insights into the impact that live microbes and other microbiome modulators have on the gut microbiota in various sections of the gastrointestinal tract.
 
“We are delighted to partner with BioMe Oxford to develop the next generation of tools to accelerate innovation in the field of the microbiome. When ready, BioCapture will allow us to deepen our understanding of the impact our probiotics and other ingredients have on the microbiome in parts of the GI tract that are very difficult to access today other than through endoscopy procedures. Additionally, we will be able to support our customers and academic partners in accelerating insights gathered into the microbiome and how it can be modulated to improve health,” said DuPont Microbiome Venture Leader Sebastien Guery.
 
BioMe Oxford is developing a simple, robust and innovative way to sample the gut microbiota in both humans and animals that will provide new insights on how diets, ingredients, and probiotics influence the gut microbiota.
 
“The microbial community inhabiting our gut is known to vary significantly in terms of abundance, composition, and function between different segments. Targeted and minimally invasive sampling using BioCapture has the potential to open up new areas of microbiome research by enabling routine access to previously unchartered territories. DuPont is a global leader in the nutrition and microbiome field, and we are excited to be working with their team of expert scientists to accelerate the development of BioCapture,” said BioMe Oxford Co-Founder and CEO Soren Krogsgaard Thomsen, PhD.
 
DuPont established the Microbiome Venture to accelerate microbiome science-based solution development through a combination of selected strategic partnerships with microbiome science leaders and internal investments. The Microbiome Venture is an entrepreneurial team established in 2017 with a strong connection to the larger DuPont organization, tapping into capabilities including R&D, manufacturing, regulatory, legal and marketing. The Microbiome Venture investment will complement DuPont’s existing product portfolio, especially in the areas of probiotics and prebiotics, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), and enable precision nutrition to prevent and potentially treat chronic illnesses and various other health conditions, the company said.