Evolve BioSystems Partners With King’s College London to Resolve Gut Dysbiosis in C-Section Delivered Infants

DAVIS, Calif., Feb. 01, 2018 -- Evolve BioSystems, Inc., a leader in advancing infant nutrition and health through restoration of the gut microbiome, announced today a collaboration with King’s College London to study the effects of the probiotic Evivo^TM  (Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis) in improving gut health in Caesarean-section delivered infants. The PROMESA study (Promotion of a Healthy Gut Microbiome in Elective Caesarean Section Arrivals) will investigate the impact of dietary B. infantis EVC001, combined with breastfeeding, in restoring intestinal Bifidobacterium in infants delivered by Caesarean-section, a known cause of infant gut dysbiosis.

“Based on our previously published results in infants fed Evivo, we are confident in the ability of our product to restore the natural gut microbiome of babies born by C-section delivery, a life-saving and necessary medical procedure in many cases,” says David Kyle, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer of Evolve BioSystems.  “The unintended consequences of C-section delivery on the infant gut microbiome are now becoming apparent, and this is our chance to offset that penalty and improve lifelong health outcomes for millions of babies worldwide,” says Kyle.

B. infantis is an important infant-associated bacterial sub-species that is shown to be passed from mother to infant during vaginal delivery. Infants born by Caesarean-section are often missing these important beneficial gut bacteria, which participate in critical immune and metabolic programming events during the first year of a newborn’s life. This loss of these important gut microbes is thought to play a role in the increased risk of asthma, allergies and obesity later in life that is well-documented in infants born by Caesarean-section.

“We are thrilled at the chance to combine our expertise here at King’s College London, focused on the role of the maternal microbiome in pregnancy outcome, with the expertise of Evolve BioSystems in the infant gut microbiome and probiotic development,” comments Dr. Rachel Tribe, Reader in Women’s Health, in the Department of Women and Children’s Health at King’s College London and Chief Investigator of the PROMESA study.

The PROMESA study will be conducted by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust and King’s College London, funded by Evolve BioSystems. The double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial will begin enrollment this month and participants will be followed for two years to evaluate both short and long-term health outcomes following Evivo supplementation.

About Evolve BioSystems

Evolve BioSystems, Inc. is a privately-held microbiome company dedicated to developing the next generation of products to establish, restore, and maintain a healthy gut microbiome. Evolve is a spin-out from the Foods for Health Institute (FFHI) at the University of California, Davis and builds on more than a decade of research into understanding the unique partnership of the infant gut microbiome and breast milk components. Having led to the development and commercial launch of products to resolve newborn gut dysbiosis, including Evivo^ä for infants and GlycoGuard^â for nursing foals, Evolve’s discovery platform is now being applied to solving gut dysbiosis throughout the human life cycle as well as other animal species. In addition to the landmark proof-of-concept IMPRINT trial, Evolve is undertaking further clinical studies to build out its suite of microbiome-based solutions.

Learn more about Evolve BioSystems at www.evolvebiosystems.com

About King’s College London

King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2017/18 QS World University Rankings), among the oldest in England and has an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. Since our foundation, King’s students and staff have dedicated themselves in the service of society. King’s will continue to focus on world-leading education, research and service, and will have an increasingly proactive role to play in a more interconnected, complex world. 

World-changing ideas. Life-changing impact: https://spotlight.kcl.ac.uk/

Contacts:

Tracy Shafizadeh, PhD
Phone: 916-837-2869
Email: [email protected]