Imagine your gut as a chemical plant that sometimes produces too much waste, leading to painful joint crystals. This project creates a 'cleanup crew' of specific bacteria and fibers that eat that waste before it enters your blood. It also builds a smart tool to predict exactly which person will respond best to this treatment based on their DNA and gut health.
Gout and hyperuricemia are increasing among young adults, but current pharmaceutical treatments often cause side effects and require lifelong use. There is a lack of personalized, non-drug alternatives that effectively lower uric acid based on an individual's microbiome and genetics.
A responder prediction algorithm for uric acid metabolism and two freeze-dried, food-grade probiotic strains (BEO001A and BEO001B) that degrade uric acid.
If you are a supplement manufacturer dealing with generic products that don't work for everyone — this project developed two bacterial strains (BEO001A and BEO001B) that can be combined with specific fibers to lower uric acid. This allows for a targeted product for the 5 million EU citizens affected by gout.
If you are a clinical nutrition provider dealing with the side effects of lifelong pharmaceutical gout treatments — this project developed a precision nutrition strategy. It uses a responder prediction algorithm to provide a safe, food-based alternative for hyperuricemia.
If you are a diagnostic company dealing with invasive sampling for metabolic diseases — this project developed glycomics technology for alternative bio-specimens. This enables straightforward home sampling for early gout diagnostic procedures.
Based on available project data, pricing and cost structures are not specified as the project is currently in the development and validation phase.
The project has already cultivated two bacterial strains under food-grade conditions and confirmed viability after freeze-drying, demonstrating readiness for scale-up.
Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not mentioned, but the project involves 2 industry partners and 1 SME, suggesting a commercialization path.
The project runs from September 2024 to August 2027, with the final phase focusing on clinical validation and preparing for market uptake.
It is integrated as a precision nutrition strategy combining probiotics and dietary fibers, supported by a responder/non-responder instrument to ensure efficacy.
The consortium is well-balanced for translation, consisting of 6 partners across 5 countries. With a 33% industry ratio (including 2 industry partners and 1 SME), there is a strong bridge between the 3 universities and 1 research institute and the commercial market, ensuring that the scientific discovery of urate-lowering bacteria is aligned with industrial scale-up requirements.
Contact Kobenhavns Universitet (University of Copenhagen) regarding the Bugs4Urate project.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the Bugs4Urate consortium for licensing the responder prediction algorithm.
