DuPont and P&G join forces on “next-generation” probiotics

21 Sep 2020 --- The DuPont Human Microbiome Venture is partnering with The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) to develop next-generation probiotics (NGPs) for human health. The research collaboration will accelerate the development and commercialization of NGPs, which will initially be used in dietary supplements.

“Depending on the targeted health benefit areas, NGPs could also be used in medical foods, specialized nutrition or developed as pharmaceuticals. We are unable to disclose any further insights on the terms and financial details of the partnership,” Sebastien Guery, Human Microbiome Venture leader at DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences, tells NutritionInsight.

“The combination of DuPont’s and P&G’s unique set of capabilities will allow us to accelerate innovation in the field of metabolic health and help millions of consumers affected by metabolic health issues,” he continues. 

P&G Personal Health Care’s president, Paul Gama, adds that the strategic partnership will help P&G further advance its probiotic innovation. “[This is] via a next-generation solution that will prove beneficial to the health and well-being of consumers around the world.”

The announcement follows years of investigations from both companies into human commensals to help address metabolic health issues. An increasing number of studies have shown that diet and poor lifestyle choices negatively affect the gut microbiota.

DuPont has been partnering in the probiotic space with various companies in recent years.

This can result in chronic low-grade inflammation, which is associated with the onset and prevalence of metabolic health-related conditions.

Meanwhile, increasing levels of certain anaerobic bacteria in the gut boosts insulin sensitivity and thus helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. 

Defining NGPs
Guery explains that there is no strict scientific definition of what constitutes an NGP. However, the companies’ working definition is that they are a new class of probiotics based on the strains that naturally live in the digestive tract (also referred to as commensal bacteria).

NGPs are also probiotics that have been selected and designed based on specific scientific approaches for their ability to maintain and optimize health. “They go beyond the more traditional probiotics belonging to the genera of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria,” he adds.

While the companies have not stated which strains they may be investigating, the authors of an unrelated editorial published in Frontiers in Microbiology note that Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila have great potential.

“[Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria] are not dominant in the intestinal microbiota in adults. This observation, combined with the increasing knowledge of the human microbiome, suggests that a large number of potential novel probiotic candidates can be isolated from the dominant members of the adult microbiota,” the researchers write.

Late last year, Akkermansia muciniphila was spotlighted for its positive impact on cardiovascular health, among other nutritional benefits. Notably, the University of Louvain and the University of Wageningen’s spinoff company, A-Mansia Biotech, are currently working on commercializing the strain. 

DuPont already offers Howaru Shape, which contains Akkermansia muciniphila. The symbiotic was previously found to benefit the gut microbiota and improve glucose tolerance. 

In the blood sugar space, Pendulum Glucose Control is a probiotic that helps manage Type 2 diabetes and contains a range of probiotics, including an Akkermansia muciniphila strain. 

A trail of collaborations
This is not DuPont’s first foray into the NGP space. Last year, Matthias Heinzel, DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences president, spoke to NutritionInsight about the Human Microbiome Venture. 

He explained that it is developing new microbiome solutions containing the “next-generation of probiotics, prebiotics and postbiotics” with diagnostic and digital solutions with a focus on mother and infant, gut, metabolic and brain health. 

The company also has a history of partnerships for probiotics. In 2018, it paired up with Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) Micalis-MGP to understand microbes’ mechanism of action on human health. This closely followed a collaboration with the Center of Food and Fermentation Technologies, specifically targeting NGPs. 

By Katherine Durrell