Butyric acid dietary supplement offers hope of relief from chronic diseases

Today’s modern lifestyle may cause an imbalance in the intestinal bacterial flora, our individual microbiota. Sometimes this can lead to a butyric acid deficiency, which, according to scientific studies, may be part of the reason why many people suffer from chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Selcis Biopharma is developing a dietary supplement which has the ability to deliver butyric acid to the colon. The company has been admitted to SmiLe’s incubator program to take this innovation further on its journey to the market.

Butyric acid is produced when our microbiota ferments starch in the intestine, and is one of the most important nutrients for specific cells in the intestinal mucosa that help to prevent leakage from the membrane and has an anti-inflammatory effect on intestinal health. Research has shown that butyric acid has the potential to alleviate – and in some cases cure – several gastrointestinal diseases. Such beneficial substances produced by our microbiota are called postbiotics. 

“Many people have an imbalance in the gut, in part because their diet does not include sufficient fiber.  We have developed a tasteless and odorless butyric acid product that is delivered to the large intestine, where it improves intestinal health. We consider Selcis’ future dietary supplement to have potential to alleviate and prevent symptoms from various gastrointestinal diseases. Our current focus is to further develop and launch the product. It will be incredibly exciting, and I’m thrilled to receive support with development of the company at SmiLe,” says Alexandra Ellervik, CEO of Selcis Biopharma.

The need for preventive health care in order to achieve reasonable healthcare costs in the future is currently a hot topic. In 2017, the OECD reported that their countries allocated less than three percent of their healthcare budgets to measures that promote health and wellness.

SmiLe’s food technology initiative, which focuses on health and sustainability, will help more companies that promote health to become established.

“Swedish research-based companies are well-positioned to play a significant role in preventive health. That is why SmiLe is now focusing on helping startup companies that work at the interface of biotechnology, medical technology and foods. Selcis Biopharma is our most recent incubator company in this field. One thing all these companies have in common is that they are based on scientific research,” says Lina Boreson, COO of SmiLe Incubator. 

 

For more information, please contact: Alexandra Ellervik, +46 (0)737-517278, alexandra.ellervik@selcisbiopharma.com
or Lina Boreson, COO SmiLe Incubator, +46 (0)703-781279, lina@smileincubator.life

 

The SmiLe Innovation Days mini-conference with the theme “Microbiome & Nutritional Science” – for researchers and entrepreneurs interested in the field at the interface of biotechnology, medical technology and foods – kicked off on December 9-10. SmiLe Innovation Days, a series of mini-conferences to inspire new scientific innovations with an impact on health, is another of SmiLe's new initiatives. Subscribe for news about SmiLe’s new field.

 

About Selcis Biopharma:
Selcis Biopharma was founded by Professor Emeritus Olof Sterner, Lund University, Professor Emerita Margareta Nyman, Department of Food Technology, Engineering and Nutrition, LTH, and Dr Martin Johansson, who is active at the biotech company Aquilion. Christine Widstrand represents LU Holding on the Board of Directors. Carl Magnus Andersson and Ulf Ellervik round out the team. Olof Sterner and Ulf Ellervik are also co-founders of the SmiLe company Gedea Biotech.

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