Ostia Sciences and Lallemand Health Solutions to scale up first-of-its-kind oral health probiotic

Ostia Sciences joins forces with Lallemand Health Solutions’ Expert’Biome CDMO (contract development and manufacturing organization) to advance a novel oral probiotic into clinical trials. The ingredient, Streptococcus salivarius SALI-10 — a proprietary probiotic strain designed to support oral microbiome health — will be brought to industrial-scale production through the collaboration.

According to the companies, the SALI-10 strain produces Salivaricin 10, the world’s first known phosphorylated lantibiotic, a type of antimicrobial peptide. Lallemand Health Solutions and Ostia Sciences underscore this as a major step forward for oral health innovation.

“Leveraging our lab and plant capacity, along with our experienced team, we supported Ostia Sciences from end-to-end in developing their next-generation probiotics,” explains Laurie Rey, the head of Expert’Biome CDMO by Lallemand. “We chose to formulate lozenges, a dosage form particularly suited for slow dissolution in the mouth, which is the site of action for SALI-10.”

A “breakthrough” in oral health

Preclinical studies reveal that the strain promotes a balanced oral microbiome and may also contribute to a healthier immune response.

Ostia Sciences’ partnership with Lallemand’s Expert’Biome CDMO includes full project development, from lab-scale testing and bioprocess optimization to scale-up at Lallemand’s GMP-certified facility in France.

The probiotic has now been manufactured at a 150-liter scale, with formulation trials producing stable lozenges intended for consumer use.

Clinical trials are set to begin imminently, with early results expected by the end of 2025. If successful, Ostia plans to bring the new probiotic to market in early 2026, marking a potential breakthrough in oral care solutions.

“After securing full intellectual property rights, we are ready to advance our research and support the development of our SALI-10 probiotic, targeting oral and respiratory health,” says Dr. Abdelahhad Barbour, the CEO of Ostia Sciences. “Expert’Biome’s regulatory support team assisted in submitting our application to the National Regulatory Authority.” 

“It was reassuring to rely on experts with the necessary knowledge to navigate regulatory waters.”