TIDMOPTI
OptiBiotix Health PLC
11 January 2021
Opti B i otix Health plc
( "Opti Bi o t ix" or the "Company")
Joint research agreement
Study to show how probiotic and prebiotics may improve sleep,
stress, and anxiety
OptiBi otix Health p lc (AI M : OPTI), a life sciences busi ness
d e vel o ping co m p o u n ds to tack le o besit y, high choleste
r ol, diabetes and skincare, a nn o unces that its has reached an
agreement with Fondazione Edmund Mach - Centro Ricerca e
Innovazione ("FEM"), based in Trento, Italy, and the University of
Southampton, to jointly fund and carry out a research project
examining the role of its microbiome products (LP(LDL) (R),
SlimBiome(R)/WellBiome(R)) to improve sleep, stress, and
anxiety.
FEM is an academic research institute operating in the agri-food
and environmental sectors. It is located in the Province of Trento
in the Italian Dolomites and is the first "One Health" research
centre in Italy. Within the Department of Food Quality and
Nutrition at FEM, the Nutrition and Nutrigenomics Unit ("NNU") has
internationally recognised expertise in probiotics, prebiotics,
polyphenols and functional foods. The NNU mission is to measure how
microbiomes along the food chain can be harnessed to improve food
nutritional quality, food sustainability and improve human health.
NNU has a special interest in fermented foods (especially fermented
dairy products), functional ingredients, whole plant foods, their
bioactive fractions (fibers, prebiotics and polyphenols) and
probiotics.
This research project will be performed in the School of Human
Development and Health ("HDH") in the Faculty of Medicine at the
University of Southampton. HDH is internationally recognised for
its multidisciplinary research in the area of nutrition and
metabolism seeking to reduce the burden of non-communicable disease
in both developed and developing countries. Research includes the
application of systems approaches to understand the far-reaching
effects of microbiome modulators on the biomolecular system of the
host and their implications for health and disease.
The agreement funds a PhD studentship to explore the potential
of prebiotics (e.g SlimBiome(R)/ WellBiome(R)) and probiotics (e.g
LP(LDL) (R)) for their ability to manage sleep, stress and anxiety.
The agreement includes a double blind, placebo controlled, human
study carried out during a period of stress induced sleep
disruption.
The research follows on from a number of publications(1-5,7)
indicating a relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota,
neurobiochemistry, and emotional behaviour. It builds upon findings
showing that prebiotics improved anxiety and depression in
participants consuming >= 5 g/day, and probiotic consumption
improved psychological or biological measures of depression,
anxiety, or stress in individuals predisposed to a mood disorder(6)
. A study by Costabile et al. in 2020 showed ingestion of 7.5 g per
day of SlimBiome(R) resulted in a statistically significant
improvement in mood after 4 weeks (p = 0.0026).
(1) Swann J.R., Spitzer, S., Diaz Heijtz R. (2020)
"Developmental signatures of microbiota-derived metabolites in the
mouse brain". Metabolites. 10(5), 172.
(2) Caspani G. & Swann J.R. (2019) "Small talk: microbial
metabolites involved in the signalling from microbiota to brain"
Current Opinion in Pharmacology. 48: 99-106.
(3) Caspani G., Kennedy S., Foster J.A., Swann J.R. (2019) "Gut
microbial metabolites in depression: understanding the biochemical
mechanisms". Microbial Cell. 6(10): 454-481.
(4) Swann J.R., Garcia-Perez I., Braniste V., Wilson I.D.,
Sidaway J.E., Nicholson J.K., Pettersson S., Holmes E. (2017)
"Application of (1) H NMR spectroscopy to the metabolic phenotyping
of rodent brain extracts: a metabonomic study of gut microbial
influence on host brain metabolism". J. Pharm and Biomed Anal. 143:
141-146.
(5) Farshim P., Walton G., Chakrabarti B., Givens I., Saddy D.,
Kitchen I., Bailey A., Swann J.R. (2016) "Maternal weaning
modulates emotional behavior and regulates the gut-brain axis". Nat
Sci Rep. 6: 21958.
(6) Holscher, H. & Tallor A. (2020) "A review of dietary and
microbial connections to depression, anxiety, and stress". Nutr
Neurosci. 23(3): 237-250.
(7) Patterson E, Ryan PM, Wiley N, Carafa I, Sherwin E, Moloney
G, Franciosi E, Mandal R, Wishart DS, Tuohy K, Ross RP, Cryan JF,
Dinan TG, Stanton C. Gamma-aminobutyric acid-producing lactobacilli
positively affect metabolism and depressive-like behaviour in a
mouse model of metabolic syndrome. Scientific Reports, 2019 Nov
8;9(1):16323. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51781-x.
Stephen OHara, CEO of OptiBiotix Health plc commented :
"OptiBiotix has developed products based on a scientific
understanding of their mechanisms of action and human studies which
demonstrate safety and efficacy. These studies examine a range of
parameters beyond the main study endpoint and have indicated a
potential for opportunities beyond cardiovascular health for
LP(LDL) (R), weight management for SlimBiome, and gut health for
WellBiome(R). This agreement allows Optibiotix to explore the
benefits of its existing products to help improve stress, anxiety
and sleep disorders with world leading scientists and academic
institutions. Sleep aids and stress management products are the
fastest growing category within healthcare (Goldstein Market
Intelligence, 2020). This is another step in extending the range of
applications for OptiBiotix's scientifically and clinically proven
products into large growing markets where there is an unmet
clinical need."
Professor Jonathan Swann, University of Southampton commented:
"There is growing evidence for the bi-directional communication
between the microbiota resident in the gut and biochemical
processes and functions occurring in the brain. Such processes and
functions can modulate cognition and emotional behaviour. This
exciting project will apply high-resolution systems biology
approaches to human studies exploring the potential for microbial
modulators to improve stress, anxiety and sleep disorders. This
will allow us to comprehensively characterise the impact of changes
to the microbiome on its metabolic output and the biochemical flow
to the human host. This information will help us to understand the
biomolecular mechanisms underlying any potential changes in
emotional behaviour. Such information will not only advance our
knowledge in this field but will also assist in refining strategies
to improve mental health."
Dr Keiran Tuohy, Fondazione Edmund Mach commented: " Disrupted
sleep and sleep apnea are recognised risk factors of poor metabolic
health and cardiovascular risk and are closely related to stress.
Recent research has identified an important role for the gut
microbiota and specific probiotic strains in regulating not just
circadian rhythms and the gut clock, but also in building
resilience to emotional stress. Metabolites produced by gut
bacteria from certain foods (e.g. prebiotic fibers or amino acids
like glutamate or tryptophan) or through co-metabolism of bile
acids produced in the liver, are thought to underpin communication
along the gut:brain axis. Moreover, many of these same metabolites
regulate inflammation and cellular metabolism, two processes
intricately linked to cardiovascular risk. This project aims to
screen a panel of probiotic strains and prebiotics for their
ability to produce molecules linked to cell signalling processes in
the gut and systemically related to regulation of circadian rhythm,
brain function, stress, inflammation and energy metabolism."
The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the
content of this announcement.
For further information, please contact:
OptiBiotix Health plc www.optibiotix.com
Stephen O'Hara, Chief Executive Contact via Walbrook
below
Walbrook PR Ltd Mob: 07876 741 001
Anna Dunphy
About OptiBiotix - www.optibiotix.com
OptiBiotix Health plc (AIM: OPTI) is a biotechnology company
formed in March 2012 which brings science and human studies to the
development of compounds which modify the human microbiome - the
collective genome of the microbes in the body - in order to prevent
and manage human disease and promote wellness.
OptiBiotix has an extensive R&D programme working with
leading academics in the development of microbial strains,
compounds, and formulations which are used as active ingredients,
supplements, and potentially drug biotherapeutic products. More
than seventy international food and healthcare supplement companies
have signed agreements with OptiBiotix to incorporate their human
microbiome modulators into a wide range of supplements, fooid,
dairy, and beverage products.
OptiBiotix is also developing its own range of consumer
supplements and health products. The Company's current areas of
focus include obesity, cardiovascular health, and diabetes.
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