The DuPont Microbiome Venture (Copenhagen, Denmark) has announced a strategic investment and partnership with BioMe Oxford Ltd. BioMe Oxford is an early stage startup located in Oxford, U.K., which is developing BioCapture, a smart, orally delivered capsule that can sample gut microbiota in both humans and animals.

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,” said DuPont Microbiome Venture Leader Sebastien Guery. “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 (gastrointestinal) 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.”

With its highly skilled team and its partnership with the world-class AMRC in Sheffield, 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.

For more information, visit: www.dietarysupplements.dupont.com/microbiome-venture.html.