'With an array of partners, we are tackling some of the biggest unmet needs in mental health diseases'

Revealing new answers through precise analysis of the gut microbiome, Australiabased startup Microba Life Sciences is strengthening its presence in the market by partnering with global leaders to turn its discoveries into transformative solutions for medical diagnosis and treatment. To find out more about the solutions being offered by the startup in the microbiome space, BioSpectrum Asia reached out to Dr Luke Holtham Reid, President, Microba Life Sciences, Australia, soon after the World Microbiome Day, celebrated on June 27 every year.

- Dr Manbeena Chawla

Dr Luke Holtham Reid, President, Microba Life Sciences, Australia

What unique initiatives are being taken by the company to connect microbiome with human health? Which are the major therapeutic areas being covered?

Microba Life Sciences is working to make important advancements in medicine by harnessing the gut microbiome as a rich source of novel therapeutics using precision microbiome science. This stems from our proprietary discovery platform that utilises human data and leading informatic approaches to identify promising therapeutic leads. In particular, we have established therapeutic programmes to address unmet clinical needs in our lead programme targeting Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). To support this and our other programmes we have assembled global clinical leaders to guide the pre-clinical and clinical development of these breakthrough therapies. Microba’s IBD therapeutic leads are delivering excellent results in pre-clinical models. The company is now rapidly progressing these into a first-in-human clinical trial. Our rapid progression in therapeutic development is delivering on our mission of using precision microbiome science to enhance human health. We are uniquely placed to discover and develop microbiome-based therapeutics due to our unrivaled MAP technology which provides the most comprehensive and precise measurement of the human gut microbiome.

How is the company contributing to the field of mental health with the help of microbiome research?