DuPont develops Microbiome Venture

To lead development of new microbiome science-based solutions, partners with APC Microbiome Institute

DuPont Nutrition & Health announced the development of a significant new initiative with the creation of a Microbiome Venture to spearhead development of new microbiome science-based solutions. The Microbiome Venture will play a key role in DuPont’s business growth strategy.

“Microbiome science is developing extremely fast with tremendous opportunity for innovation,” said Angela Naef, DuPont Nutrition & Health Global Technology and Innovation Leader. “With the Microbiome Venture, we intend to build on our probiotics leadership position to develop new microbiome science-based solutions for health and wellness.”

The Microbiome Venture will engage in strategic partnerships with other microbiome science leaders in academia and industry to accelerate product development. The Microbiome Venture is a focussed entrepreneurial team with a strong connection to the larger DuPont organisation, tapping into global research, development and commercialisation capabilities. The Microbiome Venture investment will complement DuPont’s existing product portfolio, especially in the areas of probiotics and prebiotics, including human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs.)

The first major partnership of the Microbiome Venture is with the APC Microbiome Institute in Cork, Ireland, a collaboration between University College Cork, Teagasc (the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority) and Cork Institute of Technology, a world-leading Science Foundation Ireland Research Institute. This multiyear partnership with the APC Microbiome Institute will focus on maternal and infant microbiomes, which play a critical role in infant development and long-term health. The goal is to develop solutions for establishing a healthy microbiome in early life.

“We are delighted to be working with DuPont Nutrition & Health on this exciting project, which we are confident will lead to new innovations in infant gut microbiome science, for advancing infant health and development,” said Professor Catherine Stanton, project leader at the APC Microbiome Institute.