II — Gut Instincts: Unlocking Health’s Frontier Through the Microbiome Market
Part II (Market and Companies)
TL;DR:
In Part I of this deep dive we set the stage for the science and developments of the microbiome field in the last decade.
In this part II, we are going to map out the market and companies innovating in the space.
This burgeoning research cluster is revolutionising our understanding of health and disease, presenting unprecedented investment opportunities. From gut health and immune function to the intriguing gut-brain axis, the microbiome’s vast potential is just beginning to be tapped.
Market Size and Segmentation
💡 The global consumer probiotics market is valued at $57Bn in 2022 (CAGR 8.1% 2022–2027); the prebiotics market is valued at $7.15Bn in 2022 (CAGR 12.30% 2022–2032) (source).
Benchmark: Prescription-based market: $115M in 2021; $1.3B in 2030.
The global human microbiome market has been rapidly growing, driven by advances in microbiome science and increasing interest in the potential health benefits of microbiome-based products and therapies. Market research reports from around that time estimated the market to be worth several billions of dollars, with projections for continued growth at a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next decade. This growth is fuelled by the expanding applications of microbiome research in healthcare, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and personalised medicine, as well as in consumer products like probiotics and prebiotics.
Factors contributing to market growth include the rising prevalence of chronic diseases linked to dysbiosis (microbial imbalance), technological advancements in sequencing and bioinformatics, and a growing awareness of the importance of the microbiome in overall health.
Overview of the different uses of the microbiome for medicine
Microbiota uses include biomarkers (orange box), where patients are screened monitored and stratified, and therapeutics (purple box), where there are currently nine forms of therapeutics: dietary interventions, prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, antibiotics, faecal microbiota transplantation, phage therapy, live biotherapeutics and microbiome mimetics.
💡 Probiotics are foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms intended to maintain or improve the “good” bacteria (normal microflora) in the body (i.e. provide health benefits).
Prebiotics are foods (typically high-fibre foods) that act as food for human microflora (i.e. compounds that promote the growth of beneficial microorganisms.)
Postbiotics are the waste left behind after your body digests both prebiotics and probiotics. Healthy postbiotics include nutrients such as vitamins B and K, amino acids, and substances called antimicrobial peptides that help to slow down the growth of harmful bacteria.
How advanced are therapeutic approaches?
Microbiome-based treatment developments
Microbiome-based therapeutics can be live biotherapeutics, such as Rebyota (see more on this in Part I of this deep dive) but does not have to be. It can also be prebiotics, probiotics, FMT.
As a quick recap, Seres Therapeutics is probably the most famous microbiome drug company. Their lead drug Vowst was approved last year (more here) and is off to a slow start from a reimbursement perspective, but picking up. This programme is co-developed with Nestlé (more here). BiomeBank from Australia actually got approval for the first “microbiome drug” (see more here).
Number of microbiome-based therapeutics candidates at each clinical stage (2023):
Market Segmentation
→ The path to commercialisation involves translating scientific discoveries into practical applications. This includes the development of microbiome-based diagnostics, therapeutics, and nutritional products. Biotech startups and pharmaceutical companies are actively investing in microbiome research, navigating regulatory approvals, and conducting clinical trials to bring these innovations to market.
The methods used in microbiome research are diverse and technologically advanced. High-throughput DNA sequencing, such as 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics, allows for the comprehensive profiling of microbial communities. Bioinformatics and computational biology are critical for analyzing and interpreting the vast amounts of data generated. CRISPR-Cas systems, a revolutionary gene-editing technology, are also employed to manipulate microbial genomes, enabling the study of gene function and the development of microbial engineering applications.
The human microbiome market is usually segmented as follows:
Product Type
- Probiotics and Prebiotics: Supplements designed to support the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the gut.
- Drugs: Therapeutics developed to treat diseases by targeting the microbiome.
- Medical Foods and Supplements: Foods designed to be consumed under the supervision of a physician to manage diseases or conditions.
- Diagnostic Tests: Tests that analyse the microbiome for the purpose of diagnosing diseases or imbalances.
Disease Indication
- Gastrointestinal Disorders: Such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Clostridioides difficile infection.
- Metabolic Disorders: Including obesity and diabetes.
- Neurological disorders: Such as depression.
- Other Diseases: Such as autoimmune diseases and cancer.
Technology
- Sequencing: Technologies like 16S rRNA sequencing and whole-genome shotgun sequencing used for analyzing microbiome compositions.
- Bioinformatics: Software and algorithms for processing and interpreting microbiome data.
Geography
- Segmentation by region (e.g., North America, Europe, Asia Pacific) to account for differences in regulatory environments, healthcare systems, and market adoption.
Market Mapping
Industry Insights
Market Size & Growth
The global gut microbiome market is experiencing significant growth, driven by increasing awareness of the microbiome’s role in human health and the rise of personalized nutrition and medicine. The exact market size and forecast growth rates can vary based on the source but are generally projected to expand steadily over the next decade.
Opportunities
- Personalised Health Solutions: Growing demand for personalized healthcare, including nutrition and disease management based on individual microbiome profiles.
- Research Advancements: Innovations in biotechnology and microbiome research opening new therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
- Digital Integration: Opportunities for digital health companies to integrate microbiome-based insights into broader health and wellness platforms.
Threats
- Regulatory Hurdles: The health claims associated with probiotics and microbiome-targeted treatments face strict regulatory scrutiny.
- Scientific Validation: The need for robust clinical evidence to support the efficacy of microbiome-based products and services.
- Market Saturation: Increasing competition as more companies enter the space, necessitating clear differentiation and value proposition.
Company Landscape
From diagnostics and therapeutics to personalised nutrition, companies are navigating the path to commercialization, leveraging high-throughput DNA sequencing, bioinformatics, and CRISPR-Cas technologies for microbial research. This dynamic ecosystem can be segmented into probiotics, prebiotics, medical foods, supplements, and diagnostic tests, to pharmaceutical therapeutics, addressing a wide range of health issues from gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders to neurological conditions. As biotech startups and pharmaceutical giants invest heavily in this space, the market is witnessing substantial growth but is also facing challenges such as regulatory hurdles and the need for scientific validation. Amidst this, the potential for personalised health solutions and digital integration presents exciting opportunities for the future of healthcare.
On the therapeutics front within the microbiome market, a remarkable and diverse array of innovations is unfolding, pushing the boundaries of modern medicine. This arena is characterised by a deep exploration into how the vast and complex ecosystem of microorganisms residing in the human body can be harnessed for therapeutic benefits. The approaches are multifaceted, ranging from the use of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics, which aim to balance the beneficial bacteria in the gut, to more sophisticated interventions like faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and phage therapy, targeting specific microbial imbalances or infections.
The development of live biotherapeutics represents a cutting-edge frontier, where live organisms are employed as treatments, showcasing the potential to address a host of conditions, including those related to the gut-brain axis. The pursuit of microbiome mimetics, which are non-living substances designed to mimic the beneficial effects of a healthy microbiome, highlights the innovative strategies being explored to modulate the microbiome for health benefits.
The potential for microbiome therapeutics to revolutionise treatment paradigms and offer new hope to patients with diverse health issues makes this one of the most exciting and promising areas of modern medical research.
We have put together the following market map as well as a table (see link below) that goes into funding and other details.
See here the table including funding details and links of microbiome companies:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aDT7KnyEdXMHStUCwNwgC32AvJQokwVAAwopZ526UR0/edit?usp=sharing
We are highly excited about this yet-to-be fully explored field and cannot wait to see fascinating companies emerge therein. Drop us a message if you are interested in chatting!
