BiomeSense Secures $2 Million in Seed Funding to Develop Gut Microbiome Tracking Tools

On October 14, 2019, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned via Business Wire that BiomeSense, a biotechnology and medical device company, announced the completion of a $2 million seed financing round. The round was led by BioX Clan, with participation from Seerave Foundation and SOSV.

It is reported that BiomeSense will use the funds from this round of financing to develop gut microbiome tracking tools and continue to refine its biosensor and data modeling platform, in preparation for its first clinical trial in 2020.

BiomeSense, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Illinois, USA, is an early-stage biotechnology and medical device company. The company is dedicated to developing novel biosensors and cloud-based analytics platforms for tracking and analyzing the gut microbiome. BiomeSense is jointly led by its founders, Dr. Kevin Honaker, Dr. Jack Gilbert, and Dr. Savas Tay. Dr. Gilbert, a renowned expert in microbiome research, primarily oversees the development of BiomeSense’s cloud analytics platform.

Currently, BiomeSense is developing a home-use biosensor for continuous monitoring of the human gut microbiota. The company’s cloud-based analytics platform is the first integrated hardware, software, and data solution that enables low-cost, high-efficiency, large-scale collection and analysis of gut microbiome data. BiomeSense is committed to transforming data into actionable clinical insights to support microbiome researchers.

Since its inception, BiomeSense has helped researchers gain a deeper understanding of the impact of gut microbiota on human health and has garnered widespread support from the microbial research community. The company will continue to advance its biosensor research to explore the effects of gut microbiota on cancer patients and postoperative patients.

Kevin Honaker stated, “To fully understand the interactions between the microbiome and disease, we need to conduct large-scale studies to track the activities of gut microbes. The human microbiome holds the potential to improve human health and represents the next frontier in precision medicine. Although the costs associated with tracking microbes and acquiring data are high, we are confident in our ability to overcome this challenge.”

Ho Joon Lee, CEO of BioX Clan, stated, “We are delighted to collaborate with BiomeSense. Their advanced microbiome analysis methods will further advance diagnostic technologies based on microbiome data, bringing benefits to human health.”

BioX Clan, founded in 2018 and headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, specializes in mid-stage financing in the fields of biotechnology and synthetic biology.

Seerave Foundation, established in 1992 and headquartered in the United Kingdom, primarily assists biotechnology companies in developing immunotherapies and microbiome research products, providing new treatment options for cancer patients.

SOSV, founded in 1994 and headquartered in New Jersey, USA, is a venture capital and financial services firm. The company primarily focuses on multiple sectors, including software technology, life sciences, food, robotics, medical devices, transportation, and green energy, with over $300 million in assets under management.

(Compiled by Xu Xiaoxue)