{"id":1365,"date":"2025-05-27T22:54:52","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T21:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/?page_id=1365"},"modified":"2026-03-30T21:15:52","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T20:15:52","slug":"feasibility-study-assessment-of-wellbiome-prebiotic-to-improve-gut-health-using-mgut-a-novel-microbiome-nutrition-analysis-tool","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/funded-projects\/completed-projects\/feasibility-study-assessment-of-wellbiome-prebiotic-to-improve-gut-health-using-mgut-a-novel-microbiome-nutrition-analysis-tool\/","title":{"rendered":"Feasibility Study &#8211; Assessment of WellBiome prebiotic to improve gut health using mGut, a novel microbiome-nutrition analysis tool"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">Project Title:\u00a0<\/span> <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Assessment of WellBiome prebiotic to improve gut health using MiGut, a novel microbiome-nutrition analysis tool<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><strong>Project Partners:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Dr Anthony Buckley, University of Leeds (PI)<\/li>\n<li>OptiBiotix Health PLC (Industry Partner)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: 14pt\">Research issue, problem, risk or opportunity being addressed:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>OptiBiotix develop functional products for modulating and managing human disease. WellBiome is engineered to improve wellbeing and healthy ageing. Primarily, WellBiome works by selectively enhancing <em>Bifidobacterium<\/em> species and by hypothetically promoting saccharolytic fermentation throughout the colon; WellBiome competitively supports <em>Bifidobacterium<\/em> growth and promotes the production of SCFA. Gaining a deeper insight into the effects of WellBiome in the <u>different regions<\/u> of the colon is key to a mechanistic understanding of the active ingredients. This study will assess the recently developed MiGut system (UoLeeds), a miniaturised in vitro triple-stage colonic model. This brings benefits of reduced requirements for the ingredients under test, and consequently offers the ability to screen functional materials earlier in the development cycle.<\/p>\n<p>This study addresses (i) new collaboration between industry and academia (ii) in functional foods through (iii) understanding the microbiome impact to (iv) improve WellBiome and (v) support technology pull-through from academia to support industry developing new health-supporting products.<\/p>\n<p>By combining an innovative model system with metabolite and microbial analysis, our aim is to understand the beneficial mechanisms of the prebiotic WellBiome throughout the human colon.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-1367\" src=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture-1024x294.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"184\" srcset=\"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture-1024x294.png 1024w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture-872x250.png 872w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture-768x220.png 768w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture-1536x441.png 1536w, https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/297\/2025\/05\/MiGut-Picture-2048x587.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><span style=\"color: #808080;font-size: 10pt\"> A single MiGut rig. Each MiGut rig consists of four triple-staged MiGut reactors that simulate the different <\/span><\/strong><strong><span style=\"color: #808080;font-size: 10pt\">physiological conditions of the human colon. This continuous model allows for the spatial-temporal microbiome <\/span><\/strong><strong><span style=\"color: #808080;font-size: 10pt\">measurements in response to different nutrients.<\/span><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><strong>Project Achievements\/Outputs:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The results from this project have been essential to further validate MiGut as a novel tool to study nutrition-microbiome interactions. Furthermore, the enhanced environmental measurements of MiGut had the added benefit of predicting fibre fermentation capacity and SCFA production in real time.<\/p>\n<p>The results produced herein have been used as a case study for further academic-industry interactions, with other industrial partners in talks about collaborations, such as Unilever &amp; Arla.<\/p>\n<p>The results have given Optibiotix greater insight into prebiotic-microbiome interactions for the further development of novel prebiotics.<\/p>\n<p>Through the success of this award and the collaboration with Optibiotix, MiGut is now being considered for a business unit-type commercialisation venture, called MicroMimetics.<\/p>\n<p>Results are being included for an abstract submission to the 18th International Scientific Conference on Probiotics, Prebiotics, Gut Microbiota and Health.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt\"><strong>Advancing Science:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The results from this collaboration have been fruitful in further validating MiGut as a novel tool for nutrition-microbiome interactions. We were able to combine the environmental monitoring data, such as pH measurements and added volume of acid\/alkaline, as a real-time predictor for the fermentation potential of prebiotics and the production of SCFA.<\/p>\n<p>The data generated will help Optibiotix to further develop its range of prebiotics, through selective inclusion of the different types of fibres tested as a result of this award.<\/p>\n<p>The collaboration with Optibiotix has opened up further avenues of exploration. We are in discussion about further developing the MiGut technology as a screening tool for novel fibres and testing probiotics. This will likely result in a full grant proposal.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the collaboration with Optibiotix and the data produced herein has contributed towards a business case for developing MiGut as a commercialisation service. This has the potential for further impact beyond academia.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>FEBRUARY 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Project Title:\u00a0 Assessment of WellBiome prebiotic to improve gut health using MiGut, a novel microbiome-nutrition analysis tool Project Partners: Dr Anthony Buckley, University of Leeds (PI) OptiBiotix Health PLC (Industry&#8230;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"&#104;&#116;&#116;&#112;&#115;&#58;&#47;&#47;&#114;&#101;&#115;&#101;&#97;&#114;&#99;&#104;&#46;&#114;&#101;&#97;&#100;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#46;&#97;&#99;&#46;&#117;&#107;&#47;&#105;&#110;&#102;&#111;&#114;&#109;&#45;&#105;&#110;&#110;&#111;&#118;&#97;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110;&#45;&#104;&#117;&#98;&#47;&#102;&#117;&#110;&#100;&#101;&#100;&#45;&#112;&#114;&#111;&#106;&#101;&#99;&#116;&#115;&#47;&#99;&#111;&#109;&#112;&#108;&#101;&#116;&#101;&#100;&#45;&#112;&#114;&#111;&#106;&#101;&#99;&#116;&#115;&#47;&#102;&#101;&#97;&#115;&#105;&#98;&#105;&#108;&#105;&#116;&#121;&#45;&#115;&#116;&#117;&#100;&#121;&#45;&#97;&#115;&#115;&#101;&#115;&#115;&#109;&#101;&#110;&#116;&#45;&#111;&#102;&#45;&#119;&#101;&#108;&#108;&#98;&#105;&#111;&#109;&#101;&#45;&#112;&#114;&#101;&#98;&#105;&#111;&#116;&#105;&#99;&#45;&#116;&#111;&#45;&#105;&#109;&#112;&#114;&#111;&#118;&#101;&#45;&#103;&#117;&#116;&#45;&#104;&#101;&#97;&#108;&#116;&#104;&#45;&#117;&#115;&#105;&#110;&#103;&#45;&#109;&#103;&#117;&#116;&#45;&#97;&#45;&#110;&#111;&#118;&#101;&#108;&#45;&#109;&#105;&#99;&#114;&#111;&#98;&#105;&#111;&#109;&#101;&#45;&#110;&#117;&#116;&#114;&#105;&#116;&#105;&#111;&#110;&#45;&#97;&#110;&#97;&#108;&#121;&#115;&#105;&#115;&#45;&#116;&#111;&#111;&#108;&#47;\">Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":711,"featured_media":0,"parent":1612,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"__cvm_playback_settings":[],"__cvm_video_id":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"coauthors":[13],"class_list":["post-1365","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1365","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/711"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1365"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1365\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1398,"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1365\/revisions\/1398"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1365"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.reading.ac.uk\/inform-innovation-hub\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=1365"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}