SAN DIEGO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Persephone Biosciences Inc., a synthetic biology company reimagining patient health through the development of microbiome-based medicines, today announced that it has enrolled the last subject in its My Baby Biome™ observational study to determine specific biomarkers that are associated with a healthy infant gut.
“We are thrilled to announce the enrollment of the last subject in our proprietary My Baby Biome™ study of infant gut health. We are excited by the response to our enrollment drive on social media, which by far exceeded our expectations. We believe this response is testament to the concern that parents have for the health of their children, in the near- and medium term, as together we try and solve growing prevalence of health problems such as allergies, insufficient immunological response, declining overall health and treatment response,” said Stephanie Culler, CEO and Co-founder of Persephone Biosciences. “Although the My Baby Biome™ study will follow participants for seven years, our initial data shows the situation is already worse than feared, when compared to reference data in published literature regardless of feeding and birth mode. While this observation is of obvious concern, I am pleased to announce that we have already validated a number of the hypotheses and discovered biomarkers that will help us drive product development.”
The My Baby Biome™ observational study is designed to help define a healthy infant microbiome using real-world data and inform the development of live biotherapeutics, so that eventually all babies can develop a healthy gut microbiome. The study has enrolled 680 patients (versus 600 planned) from 49 U.S. states (all except Maine), and with unprecedented socio-economic diversity among participants. Persephone will now follow subjects for seven years following initial testing, with parents asked to complete periodic questionnaires detailing any evolving health issues their child experiences, such as allergies and skin issues.
Initial data from participants, collected via remote sampling upon entry to the study, already shows a marked deterioration in infant microbiomes compared to published literature. While this finding is concerning on a public health level, Persephone believes it has confirmed several of its hypotheses relating to potential solutions, which it plans to incorporate into one or more specially formulated over-the-counter probiotics as well as future initiatives with third party partners.
About Persephone Biosciences
Persephone Biosciences is a synthetic biology company reimagining patient health through the development of microbiome-based medicines, with an initial focus on infant wellbeing and oncology treatment and prevention. The company was founded in the summer of 2017 by synthetic and metabolic engineering pioneers, Stephanie Culler, Ph.D., and Steve Van Dien, Ph.D. For more information, visit persephonebiosciences.com, or on Twitter and LinkedIn.