OptiBiotix Health plc (LON:OPTI), a life sciences business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol, diabetes and skin care, announced today that it will be presenting research data on its microbiome modulators at MicroBiome R&D and Business Collaboration (USA) in San Diego, on 2-3 November 2017. The conference is unique in that it brings together an even split of industry and academic thought leaders in microbiome research to discuss the latest developments in microbiome science, and is seen as one of the leading conferences for the development of commercial partnerships and collaborations.
OptiBiotix’s® presentation will be given by Professor Bob Rastall, an international key opinion and expert on prebiotics. The presentation will cover the work the company has undertaken with the University of Reading on its OptiBiotics®: combinations of a probiotic and a targeted prebiotic specifically designed to selectively enhance the growth rate and health benefits of probiotic products. This new product concept is seen as a more rational and scientific approach to developing optimised synbiotics to enhance probiotic health benefits in the probiotic market forecast to be worth more than $46.5bn by 2020 (Markets and Markets).
The oral presentation will present research showing an approach, protected by over 19 OptiBiotix patents, in which a probiotics own metabolic machinery is used to generate an oligosaccharide that is highly metabolised by the producing strain. This approach has been used to enhance the cholesterol reducing effect of OptiBiotix’s® cholesterol and blood pressure reducing LPLDL®strain. In the case of LPLDL®, combining it with galacto-oligosaccharides produced from it, lead to a threefold increase in the strains ability to lower cholesterol.
These galacto-oligosaccharides are heat resistant and stable during processing creating the potential for them to be used as functional ingredients in a wide range of food products. This extends the existing product opportunity offered by OptiBiotix’s LPLDL® cholesterol reducing strain from supplements to ingredients, greatly increasing the market opportunity.
Commenting, Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix Health Plc said: “These presentations at major international conferences are important steps in establishing the scientific maturity and credibility of our technologies. We are particularly pleased that Professor Bob Rastall, one of the worlds leading scientists in this field is presenting the research which was undertaken under his leadership at the University of Reading. The last 12 months has seen an increase in the number of presentations and publications on OptiBiotix’s research reflecting the growing interest and maturity of our science. These presentations and publications help build awareness of OptiBiotix’s technology and products in international markets and provide the scientific evidence base to support commercialisation of our next generation prebiotics, probiotics, and OptiBiotic products.”
