A clinical-stage biopharma company developing microbiome-based therapies has raised £36 million in Series C funding to progress its lead candidate for ulcerative colitis. The British Business Bank led the investment, joined by Tencent, IP Group, and existing backers. These funds will accelerate the development of MB310, an oral capsule containing eight specific gut bacteria strains designed to restore intestinal barriers and reduce inflammation when taken once daily.
Ulcerative colitis, the most prevalent type of inflammatory bowel disease, impacts up to 5 million people worldwide. Existing treatments often fail to induce or sustain remission in many patients, creating an unmet need for alternative solutions. MB310 addresses the underlying causes by restoring gut health while maintaining a favorable safety profile, making it a potential complement to current therapies.
Initial findings from a Phase 1b trial demonstrated statistically significant clinical remission in participants, with no adverse effects reported. The new financing will now support a Phase 2 study, which could confirm these results and position MB310 as a transformative option for ulcerative colitis. The British Business Bank highlighted Microbiotica as a leader in microbiome therapeutics, praising its data-driven platform as a defining advantage in the sector.
The company’s technology integrates a proprietary collection of bacterial strains with advanced bioinformatics and machine learning. By analyzing clinical trial data, Microbiotica identifies specific microbes associated with positive outcomes in targeted patient groups. This targeted approach minimizes trial-and-error risks and enhances the probability of effective treatments. The same platform underpins MB097, a microbiome therapy currently in development for advanced melanoma, broadening the company’s pipeline beyond inflammatory conditions.
Microbiotica has established collaborations with major institutions, including MSD, Cancer Research UK, and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, to advance its research. Existing investors commended the transition from academic research to clinical-stage products. The funding will also support the creation of scalable manufacturing processes, ensuring cost-effective production of microbiome-based therapies.
Founded in 2016 as a spinout from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Microbiotica has quickly progressed from genomic discovery to clinical validation. While microbiome therapies remain an emerging field, its method, using real-world trial data to select bacterial strains, distinguishes it from general probiotic or fecal transplant approaches. This precision focus may accelerate adoption in chronic inflammatory diseases where standard treatments frequently prove insufficient.
