The collection of microorganisms that inhabit the bodies of humans and animals have been studied extensively in recent years and play an important role in maintaining host health.

While over $1 billion has been invested in human health microbiome start-ups, the therapeutic potential of the microbiome in animals is yet to be unlocked.

“Recent discoveries are causing us to rethink the way we treat disease in animals. The microbiome holds great promise, not only in reducing antibiotic use in livestock, but also in creating personalised solutions for our pets,” says ANIZOME Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Hardcastle.

ANIZOME brings together an experienced and pioneering team of experts to build on more than a decade of breakthrough discovery in the microbiome. The company intends to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic solutions capable of optimising performance and preventing disease in animals.

The partners behind the company include Baylor College of Medicine – a premier health sciences university in the United States and home to the Alkek Centre for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, Diversigen – a leading human microbiome company, and Stonehaven Incubate, which specialises in accelerating innovation through new company formations in animal health.

The joint venture bridges the gap between microbiome research and commercial development to deliver next-generation solutions for farm and companion animals.

“If you were to build this platform from scratch it would take several years, an investment of tens of millions of dollars and require significant expertise,” says Oliver. “The team we have at ANIZOME are world leaders in the microbiome sphere and will be developing a pipeline of candidates to tackle some of the most significant animal health challenges. By utilising the advancements made in human health, we will be able to improve animal welfare and productivity.”

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Oliver Hardcastle, Chief Executive Officer of ANIZOME will be presenting at Microbiome Invest in London on 23rd May, while Dr Scott Carter, Chief Scientific Officer of ANIZOME will be presenting at the Hansen Wade Animal Microbiome Conference in St Louis, Missouri, on 24th May.

Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) is a premier health sciences university in the United States. It is the only private medical school in the greater Southwest and is ranked 16th among medical schools for research by U.S. News & World Report and 44th in the Top 100 Innovative Universities in the World by Reuters. A partner in the Human Microbiome Project, BCM is home to pioneering microbiome science in the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research, the Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Texas Children’s® Microbiome Center.

Diversigen, Inc. is a leading human microbiome company providing end-to-end solutions for pharma. These include sequencing, bioinformatics, and complex statistical analyses. Diversigen operates a state-of-the-art CLIA/CAP laboratory deploying a variety of techniques on many sample types for subsequent metagenomics analysis. It leverages proprietary cohorts and data sets to enable microbiome therapeutic discoveries.

Stonehaven Incubate AG is a member of the Stonehaven group of companies. Stonehaven Incubate’s mission is to identify disruptive technologies in human health and work collaboratively with the technology originator to build a strategy for a new stand-alone animal health company, identify an experienced management team and source the capital required. Stonehaven Incubate has the networks, team and industry insight to bring the opportunity through all phases, including to an exit.