PORTFOLIO

Infant Colic (IC) affects up to 20% of infants younger than three months. Colicky babies experience prolonged and inconsolable crying, which affect the infants and parents' life, and are frequent trigger for abusive head trauma: “Shaken Baby Syndrome”. IC is defined as sudden fussing or crying lasting more than three hours per day and occurring at least three days each week and for at least one week. There is currently no treatment with proven efficacy on IC.
Our studies involving infant cohorts, animal and in vitro models, provide scientific evidence on the role of the gut microbiota metabolism as cause of IC. Our work revealed that excessive hydrogen (H2) production by lactate-utilizing bacteria inhabiting the infant gut, is likely the cause for flatulence and bloating and associated pain in IC.
In this project, we developed “BactoKind”, the first mechanistic-based live microbial product for alleviation of IC. BactoKind contains natural and safe strains able to compete with H2-producing bacteria in infant gut conditions and with potential to alleviate bloating, pain and associated crying in IC. BactoKind commercial formulation as food supplement is currently under development and we look forward to making it available to parents and their colic babies by 2024.

Currently there is no generally recommended solution for IC recognized by healthcare professionals due to the lack of solid scientific and mechanistic evidence supporting the products’ efficacy. BactoKind development has been based on a strong scientific background and data built on more than 12 years of research on IC by the Food Biotechnology Laboratory - ETH Zürich and in collaboration with the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit - KISPI. BactoKind restores the metabolism of the gut microbiota, reducing gas production and alleviating bloating, associated pain and crying in colic babies. The consortium of bacterial strains included in BactoKind has a scientifically proven mechanism of action and will gain trust from the healthcare professionals and finally become the generally recommended solution for infant colic.

Currently there is no generally recommended solution for IC recognized by healthcare professionals due to the lack of solid scientific and mechanistic evidence supporting the products’ efficacy. BactoKind development has been based on a strong scientific background and data built on more than 12 years of research on IC by the Food Biotechnology Laboratory - ETH Zürich and in collaboration with the Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit - KISPI. BactoKind restores the metabolism of the gut microbiota, reducing gas production and alleviating bloating, associated pain and crying in colic babies. The consortium of bacterial strains included in BactoKind has a scientifically proven mechanism of action and will gain trust from the healthcare professionals and finally become the generally recommended solution for infant colic.
With BactoKind, a unique strain formulation with in vitro proof of safety and efficacy has been obtained and the formulation has been protected in an IP owned by ETH Zürich and University of Zürich.
The team has successfully obtained funds to further develop BactoKind into a market-ready product (BRIDGE Proof of concept CHF 130k, Innosuisse voucher for start-up coaching CHF 5 k, InnoBooster CHF 150k and Venture Kick Stage 2, CHF 40k). The project is the winner of the Swiss Microbiome Forum 2022 Pitching Competition and was selected TOP 16 start-up at the W.A. De Vigier Stiftung Awards 2022.
We now follow up with the InnoBooster funds which will allow us to obtain a first industrial standard prototype of BactoKind as intended to be marketed, demonstrating that our formulation production is scalable and reproducible, and to determine its shelf-life stability. The finished product prototype will also be used to conduct in vivo safety and toxicology tests in animal models as required by regulatory authorities to approve BactoKind strains as food ingredient for inclusion in infant formula. Concomitantly, Innobooster funds will also allow us to establish commercial partnerships with CMOs and distribution partners to launch BactoKind to the market in 2024.

Chassard, C., Lacroix, C., Braegger. (2014). Baby Food Composition comprising viable propionic acid-producing bacteria. International Patent. WO2014/110685;
Pham, V.T., Lacroix, C., Braegger, C.P., Chassard, C. (2017) Lactate-utilizing com- munity is associated with gut microbiota dysbiosis in colicky infants. Sci Rep 7, 11176;
Rocha Martin, V.N., Schwab, C., Krych, L., Voney, E., Geirnaert, A., Braegger, C., Lacroix, C. (2019) Colonization of Cutibacterium avidum during infant gut microbiota establishment. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 95, fiy215.