Axbio and Xbiome Deepen Strategic Collaboration in Microbiome-Based Drug Development

December 15, 2020,Axbio, a developer of fourth-generation single-molecule sequencing platforms, has announced a cooperation agreement with Xbiome. The two parties will continue to carry out comprehensive and in-depth strategic collaboration in the fields of gut microbiome research and microecological pharmaceuticals.

The gut microbiome is referred to as the human body’s “second genome.” Together, the human genome and the gut microbial genome determine our health status. The gut microecology regulates various major systems of the human body, and the diseases addressed by microecological pharmaceuticals are extensive.The gut microbiome can be regarded as a novel drug target. On one hand, microbes themselves can be developed into therapeutics, offering a new class of drugs; on the other hand, the gut microbiome provides opportunities for the discovery of new drug targets.

Microbiome-based pharmaceuticals have emerged as a new development trend in the international pharmaceutical industry in recent years, demonstrating significant potential in the fields of many complex and chronic diseases.Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing (mNGS) does not rely on traditional microbial culture; instead, it performs high-throughput sequencing of nucleic acids directly from clinical samples. This enables rapid and objective detection of a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms—including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites—thereby facilitating the diagnosis of critical, acute, and complex infectious diseases.

Furthermore, alterations in the gut microbiota composition (also referred to as “dysbiosis”) are associated with obesity, diabetes, and inflammatory bowel disease.Modulating Gut Microbiota May Improve Disease OutcomesMeanwhile, certain viruses (such as herpesviruses, papillomaviruses, and polyomaviruses) are inferred or known to be associated with cancer. By sequencing specific viral probes or exomes, information on integrated exogenous viruses can be obtained, providing insights for preventive and therapeutic interventions targeting antiviral and chemotherapeutic treatments, and potentially serving as a means for cancer screening in the future.

Axbio’s fourth-generation gene sequencing technology stands out for its long read lengths and high accuracy.. Long reads can span repetitive sequences and complex structures, revealing sequence architectures and connectivity diversity undetectable by short reads, thereby revolutionizing the fragmentation issues inherent in short-read metagenomic assembly. This strategic collaboration between Axbio and Xbiome builds upon their previous partnership established with the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement in 2019,Further deepen collaboration in the field of gut microbiome, jointly exploring the impact of gut microecology on human health.Both parties leverage Axbio’s molecular diagnostics and gene sequencing platforms to analyze the diversity and functional profiles of the gut microbiome.

Dr. Tian Hui, Founder and CEO of Axbio, stated：

Xbiome has always been a solid partner for us. The advantages of Axbio’s sequencing platform align highly with Xbiome’s focused direction in microbiome-based pharmaceuticals. Xbiome has consistently remained at the forefront nationally and globally within its field. Axbio has long been committed to technological applications in the fields of microbiome and metagenomics. This collaboration with Xbiome will primarily focus on the traceability and screening of microbiome-based drugs, as well as the detection of pathogenic microorganisms, thereby providing robust data support for clinical practice.

Dr. Yan Tan, CEO of Xbiome, stated：

Axbio’s fourth-generation gene sequencing platform delivers high-accuracy data at a low cost, providing Xbiome with numerous high-quality solutions for its gut microbiome research. Looking ahead, Xbiome aims to establish deep roots in China and collaborate with partners across the upstream and downstream segments of the industry chain to jointly explore the development pathway of China’s gut microbiota-based pharmaceutical industry.

About Axbio

Axbio was established in 2016, with R&D centers located in the United States, China, and Europe. The company was founded by a team of serial entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, executives from multinational corporations, senior engineers, and scientists. Axbio has successfully developed a microfluidic Bio-CMOS platform capable of performing fourth-generation high-throughput sequencing and molecular diagnostics. Based on this platform, the company develops low-cost handheld devices for point-of-care diagnostics and consumer use, as well as fully automated instruments for independent laboratories and hospitals.

Axbio's Core Product: Fourth-Generation Gene SequencerCombines multiple technical advantages, including low startup and sequencing costs, high accuracy, long read lengths, high throughput, and compact size., and will further expand into various application areas of precision medicine, including early cancer screening and detection, rapid pathogen testing, and drug development.

About Xbiome

Xbiome, founded in 2017, is China’s first AI-driven pharmaceutical company focused on gut microbiome therapeutics. It aims to achieve remission or treatment of intestinal and other systemic diseases through microbial therapies such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and defined microbial consortia. Its core R&D team hails from world-leading research institutions and top-tier pharmaceutical companies, including the Broad Institute, Harvard University, MIT, Pfizer, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.

Leveraging its innovative drug development model and proprietary drug development platform, Xbiome integrates artificial intelligence with gut microbiome technology to achieve high-quality data analysis, accumulation, and output. This significantly enhances the efficiency and success rate of drug development, effectively advancing microbiome-based pharmaceuticals from laboratory-stage scientific exploration to industrial-scale implementation.

In November 2020, Xbiome announced the completion of a Series B+ financing round amounting to tens of millions of US dollars, surpassing its previous record of over RMB 100 million in fundraising.Becomes the largest financing event in China's microbiome pharmaceutical industry to date。