Microbiotica CEO Tim Sharpington spoke with Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about the company’s £36 million Series C funding round and plans to advance its lead treatment for ulcerative colitis into Phase 2 clinical trials.
Microbiotica, an IP Group PLC (LSE:IPO) portfolio company, develops oral medicines based on the gut microbiome, using its proprietary genomics-driven platform to identify bacterial strains associated with positive clinical outcomes. The latest funding will support the development of MB310, a once-daily capsule containing eight specific gut bacterial strains designed to repair the intestinal barrier and reduce inflammation.
Sharpington highlighted encouraging Phase 1b results from the COMPOSER-1 study, which met its primary and secondary endpoints and showed statistically significant improvements in clinical remission compared with placebo. The trial also indicated improvements in measures of intestinal damage, supporting further investigation of MB310’s potential to deliver lasting remission.
The company plans to use the new capital to progress MB310 into a larger, randomised, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study to confirm the early findings.
The £36 million financing was led by British Business Bank, with existing investors participating. IP Group contributed £4 million, retaining an undiluted beneficial holding of 16.4% in Microbiotica following the round.
Sharpington also discussed the company’s wider pipeline, including MB097, an investigational microbiome treatment being studied alongside Merck’s immunotherapy Keytruda for advanced melanoma. The programme has produced encouraging early clinical data, with further development offering another potential avenue for growth.
Looking ahead, Microbiotica is focused on translating its microbiome science into potential new medicines, advancing clinical development and building on its platform across inflammatory disease and cancer.
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