Transforming healthcare with microbiome research
TRI is home to Microba Life Sciences, a clinical-stage microbiome company progressing new microbiome-derived therapies and clinical trials, and QUT’s Centre for Microbiome Research, which is leading the development of The Australian Human Biobank.
- There is a growing body of evidence linking imbalances in the human microbiome with a range of health conditions.
- QUT’s Centre for Microbiome Research, based at TRI, has been awarded $3 million to build The Australian Human Biobank, which will allow researchers to study thousands of new bacterial species for the first time.
- Microba, an early-stage genomics company based at TRI, commenced a Phase I clinical trial in late 2023 to progress a new therapy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease that has the potential to support sustained disease remission.
- Leveraging data from its at-home testing kits, Microba has developed a platform that is uncovering key bacteria that are important in specific health conditions, leading to the development of new drugs.
Small organisms of huge importance
The human microbiome refers to the collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms that are found in and on the human body. These microorganisms inhabit various parts of the body, with the largest concentration found in the gastrointestinal tract (the gut microbiome), but they also colonise other areas such as the skin, mouth, respiratory tract and reproductive organs.
The human microbiome is incredibly diverse, with trillions of microorganisms belonging to thousands of different species. Each person’s microbiome is unique, influenced by factors such as genetics, diet, environment, lifestyle and medical history.
The microbiome plays a vital role in maintaining human health and is involved in digestion and nutrient absorption, immune system regulation, metabolic health, the gut-brain axis (which has implications for mental health conditions) and protection against infection.
Given its multifaceted impact on human health, the human microbiome has become a subject of intense research interest in recent years.
Understanding the composition, function, and dynamics of the microbiome has the potential to improve the health of people around the world by providing insights into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of health conditions.
The Australian Human Biobank: the largest of its kind in the world
The TRI-based QUT received $3 million Medical Research Future Fund grant to establish The Australian Human Microbiome Biobank, the world’s most comprehensive collection of microorganisms from the human body.
Led by Professor Gene Tyson, Director of QUT’s Centre for Microbiome Research and co-founder of Microba, the project will span three years and involves building a new atmosphere-controlled high-throughput cultivation platform.
The platform integrates innovative methods in flow cytometry and metagenomics to isolate and genomically characterise tens of thousands of microbial strains from the human body.
This biobank will provide Australian and international researchers and commercial entities access to thousands of novel microorganisms from the human microbiome, potentially revolutionising live biotherapeutic opportunities in a market projected to reach $2.6 billion by 2030.
Professor Tyson said that creating new therapies for microbiome-associated health conditions relied on isolating and studying microorganisms in the laboratory. “More than 70 per cent of human-associated microorganisms are yet to be cultured. The Australian Human Microbiome Biobank will help address this important limitation,” Professor Tyson said. “We hope this will accelerate the discovery and delivery of new treatment options for Australian patients.”
Clinical trial for a new biotherapeutic for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Microba is a microbial genomics company that provides customers with access to cutting edge technology to analyse their gut microbiome. The company was founded by Professor Tyson and The University of Queensland’s Professor Phil Hugenholtz, and has been based at TRI since 2018.
Clinicians and consumers can order from a range of non-invasive tests that can be undertaken at home. When they send the tests back to the laboratory, Microba uses advanced metagenomic sequencing to give a greater understanding of their gut microbiome, showing what microorganisms are present and what they can do to improve their gut health.
Using metagenomics technology and advanced bioinformatics pipelines, the team has generated a wealth of gut microbiome data from the customer testing kits, along with associated health and lifestyle data. The databank serves as the foundation for Microba’s drug discovery platform.
Through the platform, the Microba team discovered a prospective drug candidate for treating ulcerative colitis, a prevalent type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) characterised by inflammation and ulceration in the digestive tract.
IBD affects more than 7 million people globally, with the number rising each year. Patients are currently treated with anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory drugs. They often lead to significant side effects. For many, current treatments provide little relief – and patients with severe disease may require hospitalisation.
Microba CEO Dr Luke Reid said that through Microba’s unique platform, the team was able to identify a new treatment candidate for the debilitating chronic health condition.
“Leveraging Microba’s database, we found that MAP 315, a previously unidentified bacterial species, is commonly present in the gut of healthy individuals but is consistently lacking in those with IBD.” Dr Reid said.
In pre-clinical studies, MAP 315 helped heal the lining of the gut, which is crucial for long-term disease remission and is not adequately targeted by current therapies.
Microba progressed MAP 315 to a phase 1 clinical trial in late 2023, which involved two cohorts of 16 participants each receiving either a placebo or the MAP 315 bacteria. The ongoing trial aims to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of MAP315 in healthy people.
Microba’s research pipeline shows the value of better understanding the human microbiome, and how data from this trial and from The Australian Human Microbiome might lead to better treatments for patients around the world.
