Brightseed launches gut barrier-boosting two-in-one bioactive developed with AI

Brightseed has launched Bio Gut Core, which has been shown to strengthen the gut barrier and reduce bloating and abdominal pain in a new human clinical trial. Nutrition Insight speaks to the biotechnology company to understand how AI was used to find bioactive compounds and the study’s significance. 

The company reveals that 88% of consumers seek products that restore gut barrier function, according to a representative survey of 2,000 American adults. The National Institutes of Health reports that approximately 60 to 70 million Americans suffer from digestive issues. 

Brightseed underlines that a robust gut barrier is essential to digestive health as it better absorbs nutrients, regulates immune and inflammatory reactions, helps probiotic populations, and keeps harmful bacteria and toxins out of the bloodstream.

A weak gut barrier leads to a “leaky gut” triggered by poor diet, stress, environmental toxins, and GLP-1 medication use, and damages a healthy gut environment and function.

According to the company, gut barrier supplements have, until now, been provided in “impractically large doses while not delivering optimal results.” It positions Bio Gut Core as a solution to this issue.

Addressing gaps with powerful bioactives 

Sofia Elizondo, the company’s COO and co-founder, discusses the significance of the human clinical trial and how the new product addresses gaps in the digestive health space.

Brightseed emphasizes that a strong gut barrier is vital for digestive health, as it efficiently absorbs nutrients, manages immune responses, and supports probiotics.“Until now, supplements targeting gut barrier function have required unfeasibly large doses while delivering questionable results. Bio Gut Core is clinically supported to improve gut barrier function with results you can feel. Study participants reported reductions in bloating, diarrhea, and stomach pain in just three weeks.”

“It has a low dose, delivering results at 120 mg compared to up to 5 g in competing products. It is also easy to formulate across multiple applications, including capsules, tablets, soft gels, ready-to-mix, and ready-to-drink applications.”

Bio Gut Core is a proprietary, high-purity powder blend of two bioactives, N-trans caffeoyltyramine (NCT) and N-trans feruloyltyramine (NFT), found using Brightseed’s Forager AI platform.

The bioactives can activate the HNF4⍺, which is key in gut barrier function and integrity, says the company. 

Lee Chae, co-founder and CEO, Brightseed, comments: “Not only are we introducing a novel nature-derived, science-backed ingredient to the US$51 billion digestive market, but with Bio Gut Core, we’re delivering a next-level solution to elevate overall gut health as well as provide relief for the tens of millions of Americans affected by debilitating digestive health conditions.”

Brightseed’s commissioned clinical study on humans is currently being reviewed and is expected to appear in a peer-reviewed journal this summer.

AI illuminates nature’s “dark matter” 

Elizondo explains how AI was used to discover bioactives, including its role in science-based product design.

Bio Gut Core has a low dose, delivering results at 120 mg compared to up to 5 g in competing products.“At Brightseed, we developed Forager, our proprietary AI platform, to illuminate nature’s ‘dark matter.’ Forager maps millions of compounds across the plant kingdom and predicts their impact on human health, identifying novel bioactives with measurable physiological potential.”

“This platform replaces conventional bench work with high-confidence in silico predictions and scientific precision. It enables Brightseed to surface new compounds rapidly, understand their mechanisms of action, and validate their efficacy, often compressing timelines from years to months.”

Recognition of the function of bioactives in gut health, immune modulation, and the microbiome is growing along with scientific knowledge of these systems, underscores Elizondo. More people believe that they are necessary for the various biological systems in humans to operate at their best.

“Take the gut barrier, for example — a single-cell layer that supports nutrient absorption, immune signaling, and the containment of harmful elements, like pathogens that may accompany our daily diet. When compromised, it can contribute to a wide range of digestive and inflammatory issues. Consumer awareness of the gut barrier is growing, and interest in targeted solutions has surged.”

“Bioactives offer a unique path forward. Unlike legacy ingredients that rely on generic effects or high doses, bioactives enable precise, mechanism-based interventions rooted in nature,” she concludes. 

Previously, Brightseed and Haleon joined forces to advance the discovery of plant-based, small molecules that can improve human health.

The company’s Rapid Profiling and its expanded microbiome discovery programs enable partners to unlock novel health insights for product development and accelerate commercialization timelines.