Leucine Rich Bio - what a journey!

 

I feel nostalgic and proud of the journey that we started 8 years ago with the very humble and passionate team at Leucine rich Bio. I remember starting out with a basic computer and few exceptional colleagues with a vision to bring in a new paradigm shift in life science and healthcare domains.

 

The first few years went by doing research projects with marquee institutes, companies and universities from across the world. Our strength lied in the cross-sectional abilities of systems biology, bioinformatics, molecular biology. We completed complicated genomics projects for our esteemed clients and in turn gained lot of insights into the various domains. In Parallel, we started building the base of the hitherto new concept called the “microbiome”. This was 2016 and microbiome was a very new concept with a handful of companies in the world. We created patent pending algorithms, in-house curated databases and decision engines and set out on a mission to bring this new science to this region (South Asia). Initial few months went into beta testing of the product. We got lot of feedback on the report. As this was first of its kind report, we did not have a yardstick to compare our report with, so we started putting “actionable” information as per the feedback of the people. This is how “BugSpeaks”, South Asia’s first gut microbiome test was launched. It was a challenge to say the least to bring in a nascent field to India and create awareness among the stake holders. Also, challenging was the cost factor as the technology that we were using, next generation sequencing was quite expensive. However, we got the support of visionary family house investors (Omphalos ventures, Bengaluru) who believed in our vision and supported us all the way till today.

 

Covid19 stuck us all. But we tried to utilize the downtime by doing research and our first research review paper was published in a peer reviewed scientific journal, Virus Research. This was the first paper to suggest the possible link of SARS-Cov-2 virus with the gut microbiota. This opened lot of scientific collaborations and joint research work. In fact, Leucine Rich Bio is partnering with various companies/Institutes in clinical trials addressing the gut/oral microbiota.

We have also started our own clinical trial on efficacy of Bugspeaks (patient recruitment over and intervention is ongoing) and few more trials are on the anvil.

 Along the way, we started getting feedback about the report and that led us to develop South Asia’s first gut microbiome data-based nutraceutical product line called “Rychbiome”. Our first product is a synbiotic called “Rychbiome Indus” which was derived using Indian gut microbiome data (internal). We hope to bring in new products in this category addressing various conditions as we move along.

 

The feather on our cap was when we were declared the National start up winner (2021) by Government of India in the life science category, sub category – wellness in a highly competitive background. We were recently invited by the national broadcaster, Doordarshan for the series “startupchampions 2.0”. We have started exporting BugSpeaks to Thailand and export to a few more countries are in the pipeline.

 

Now, “microbiome” has become a buzz word in the industry. We feel proud of the fact that we have been a pioneer and a trendsetter. With frugal means we could achieve a lot and we envision to see Leucine Rich Bio and its products BugSpeaks and Rychbiome scale new heights. There are a lot of products and new applications of the microbiome that we have planned for. These last 8 years were full of learnings, sacrifices, test of patience and perseverance. We thank all our clients, investors, partners and well wishers for their support. A big THANK YOU!

Impending Mental Health Issues During Coronavirus Disease 2019 – Time for Personalized Nutrition Based on the Gut Microbiota to Tide Over the Crisis?

 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major pandemic facing the world today caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has implications on our mental health as well. The uncertain future, fear of job loss, lockdown and negative news all around have taken a heavy toll on the mental health of individuals from across the world. Stress and anxiety can affect the COVID-19 patients even more. Recent study suggests COVID-19 infection may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Certain prebiotics and probiotics have been shown to have anxiolytic effect through gut microbiota modulation. Incidentally, preliminary report also suggests a differential microbial profile in COVID-19 patients as compared to healthy individuals. Gut microbiota’s role in anxiety and depression is well studied. The importance of the “gut-brain” axis has been implicated in overall mental health. It is known that diet, environmental factors and genetics play an important role in shaping gut microbiota. Trials may be initiated to study if personalized diet and supplementation based on individual’s gut microbiome profile may improve the general mental well-being of people prone to anxiety during this pandemic. Also, COVID-19 patients may be provided personalized nutritional therapy based on their gut microbiota profile to see if PTSD and anxiety symptoms can be alleviated.

For more details read my paper published in Frontiers in Neuroscience

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnins.2021.831193/full

Microbiome Domain – A journey and perspective from India

 

Our journey in the microbiome domain started in 2015. We had launched our company, Leucine Rich Bio pvt ltd. in the Silicon Valley of India, Bengaluru in the late half of 2014. We integrated our expertise in genomics, systems biology, molecular biology, information technology and bioinformatics to build a robust system that could address the challenges of the microbiome domain. We curated tons of research papers to build our own databases (Microbyte and Nutribyte) which contained information on the various aspects of the microbiota, their link to diseases, nutrients in food etc. Next challenge was to develop algorithms and matrices that would take the raw data from next generation sequencing machines as input and provide an actionable output in the form of a report utilizing the data from our in-house databases. That’s how South Asia’s first microbiome test, BugSpeaks was launched in mid-2018. Also, in early 2021, we launched India’s first gut microbiome data-based nutraceutical line, Rychbiome. It gives us immense pride that we could become this region’s first microbiome company and in doing so also helped spread awareness on this very important aspect.

So, what have been our challenges? Well, microbiome domain is very complicated and it required a great mix of expertise from various quarters to pull this off. Running a deep science based startup in India has its challenges. Although in the last few years the startup ecosystem has evolved yet it has still miles to go for it to become mature like in the West. Then there was lack of awareness as this domain was new. Interestingly, people in general, in India know a lot about the importance of gut health as our ancient scriptures like Ayurveda emphasized on keeping the gut healthy. Most people in India eat a variety of fermented foods as part of their routine diet thereby taking care of their gut! however, the fact that one can now profile one’s gut microflora and based on that could take certain actionable steps to improve their health and wellness was very new to them. We also found a lack of interest from majority of the investment community in India. This may be again because this field was new and there were no yardsticks to compare us with. But I feel now things are changing and I hope investors in India can see the potential of this domain and how it can change the way healthcare functions!

So, what are the advantages that we have? First, India is very diverse. The gene pool, the food habits, the climate, everything adds tremendous value to the microbiome data. Secondly, India is rich source of skilled and talented workforce. We are already an IT major and we have tremendous skilled force in the biotechnology and life-science domains as well. Such combination is hard to find by and expensive in other parts of the world. 

Where do we see the microbiome space going? We feel this domain can revolutionize the healthcare paradigm. Currently it is more commonly associated with the wellness category but it has the potential to provide diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic solutions in gastroenterology, oncology, mental health and women health!

We feel India is in the cusp of providing major breakthroughs in various fields and microbiome domain is no different provided the government and investor community support this space!

 This opinion piece was published in Express Healthcare -

https://www.expresshealthcare.in/blogs/guest-blogs-healthcare/microbiome-domain-a-journey-and-perspective-from-india/431244/

 

 

Gut microbiota and Covid-19- possible link and implications

Covid-19 is a major pandemic facing the world today caused by SARS-CoV-2 which has implications on our understanding of infectious diseases. Although, SARS-Cov-2 primarily causes lung infection through binding of ACE2 receptors present on the alveolar epithelial cells, yet it was recently reported that SARS-CoV-2 RNA was found in the faeces of infected patients. Interestingly, the intestinal epithelial cells particularly the enterocytes of the small intestine also express ACE2 receptors. Role of the gut microbiota in influencing lung diseases has been well articulated. It is also known that respiratory virus infection causes perturbations in the gut microbiota. Diet, environmental factors and genetics play an important role in shaping gut microbiota which can influence immunity. Gut microbiota diversity is decreased in old age and Covid-19 has been mainly fatal in elderly patients which again points to the role the gut microbiota may play in this disease. Improving gut microbiota profile by personalized nutrition and supplementation known to improve immunity can be one of the prophylactic ways by which the impact of this disease can be minimized in old people and immune-compromised patients. More trials may be initiated to see the effect of co-supplementation of personalized functional food including prebiotics/probiotics along with current therapies.

For more on this please read my review published in the peer reviewed journal - Virus Research

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168170220304603

A new revolution in Life Science and Healthcare called “Microbiome”

Any new development in life science and healthcare starts with baby steps and slowly but surely takes the world by storm. Whether it is small molecule based, high-end genomics guided targeted cancer therapy or the immuno-checkpoint inhibitors which are taking cancer treatment to the next level of personalization and precision.

In the last decade one small buzz word has created quite a noise and is bringing hope that indeed wellness and personalized treatment is a possibility – enter the world of the “microbiome”. The term microbiome means the entire genome of the microbiota ecosystem. The advent of microbiome research parallels the advancement in next generation sequencing (NGS). Before NGS came into the picture, microbiology-based study could rely only on culturing microorganisms in the lab which had its own drawbacks. Now, with advanced sequencing technologies and smart algorithms it is possible to dissect the microbial ecosystem without the need to culture microorganisms in the lab.

Human intestine harbors the maximum number of commensal organisms which are into a delicate relationship with the host. It is therefore not a surprise that maximum gut microbiota based studies are published which look into how gut microbiota plays an important role in human health and wellness.

Do you know:-

Ø   Metagenomic sequencing of fecal samples has identified 3.3 × 10⁶ nonredundant  microbial genes from up to 1,150 different species, outnumbering human protein-coding genes by about 150-fold

Ø     Each person is estimated to host at least 160 different species 

Ø  In 2007, only 14 NIH grants contained the word “microbiome” in their titles or abstracts, and the number went up to 1,043 in 2017

Ø   More than 10000 papers published in the last 3 years on “gut microbiota”

With new studies and developments in the gut microbiome space, it would suffice to say-

“If eyes are the windows to the soul, then gut microbiome is the window to your health”

The industry has also taken a leaf and are dwelling into various aspects of the microbiome space. Companies like Leucine Rich Bio (India), Day Two (Israel), Viome (USA), UBiome (USA), Microba (Australia) etc. are taking the developments in the research to consumers directly by providing easy to use at home gut health tests. And there are companies like Enterome (France), Vedanta Bioscience (USA), Seres Therapeutics (USA) etc. that are looking into tapping the therapeutic potential of the microbiome and thus bringing new paradigms in treatment of various type of cancer, IBD, IBS etc.

Investors especially in the Western world have and are putting lot of faith in these new age companies. Most notably Seventure Partners that have funded a slew of microbiome companies in Europe and the US.

Although, lot many research and studies will be needed in future to validate the interesting leads that the microbiome domain throws up yet it is pertinent that all stakeholders especially clinicians and investors in Asia also support this with less skepticism and more openness as the success of the microbiome can lead to a new era of healthcare and wellness

 

"StartUp” but hold tight

“Startups” in today’s day and age can provide two important deliverables to the society: -

·       Employment

·       Innovation and possible disruption in the domain they are active in

No doubt Governments across the world and more specifically here in India are trying to support start-ups. However, for entrepreneurs, it is a long winding road that they need to traverse to see light at the end of the tunnel. Not all ideas can be commercialized immediately especially if it is highly technical and demand lot of testing and “proof of concept” studies.

Even after successfully achieving that comes the challenge of proper marketing and positioning of the product. All of these take time and therefore it is imperative that all stake-holders in the “startup” including employees and investors hold tight and pursue with perseverance.

                                                                             Image courtesy - Cushmancreative

Startups in the life science domain have their own challenges apart from the regular ones. The “bench to bedside” concept which the domain especially pharma and biotech works on relies heavily on research. Now, this type of research primarily is based on pre-clinical and then clinical studies. We all know how long it takes for a particular concept to cross all the stages till it reaches the end user. Therefore, patience is an inbuilt asset for the startups that are in this domain. Many startups in US and Europe start working on spinoffs from interesting leads that come out in a laboratory and many lucky ones get funded as well. However, this concept in India needs some time to catch up as investors are vary into putting money so early without any credible road to return of investment. Also, I feel if there are “success” stories in the life science space that come out of India then many investors will get enthused about funding this domain.

Having said that, not all life science startups need wait for the discoveries to take a credible shape. Many companies in the microbiome space for example like Viome (US), Ubiome (US), Day two (Israel) and Leucine Rich Bio (India) are already trying to bring the fruits of research faster to the end user. Of course, research is always “work in progress” and especially in life science new discoveries and theories can append to the existing knowledge however accelerating adoption is also key in making paradigm shifts in the domain.

Hence, it is very important to build an ecosystem where the startups can provide the necessary impetus to the society and all stake holders need to hold tight till the end result is achieved!

To change the status-quo – A massive challenge for smaller start-ups

New technology and novel products and services always hit the hurdle of convincing the market about the need of the technology especially when the “ordinary” seems to be the norm. The naysayers will always discourage the new thoughts and solutions by comments like: -

·       “Oh! the market is not ready yet”

·       “There is an alternative, probably a cheaper one, why would then the market change?” (This is even when the new solution has better efficacy and efficiency)

·       “Has someone else used it” (This is a typical mindset- even if the newer technology has the potential to change the paradigm, there are few who would take the lead in adopting the change!)

Big companies (or Startups) like Tesla, Uber who are testing to show promise of “driverless” cars for the future or Virgin Galactic which is promising passenger spaceflights, have one thing in common – load of cash- that can help sway public opinion on their futuristic ideas. However, for smaller start-ups, which have novel solutions and which may not be so “non-worldly” (pun intended!), it becomes a challenge to convince the market.

Image courtesy - FoundersGrid

It is also not always that the “need or necessity” drives faster adoption. Some technologies like the “touchscreen” was not a necessity when it was introduced in mobiles, however, touchscreen mobiles changed the way we communicate.

So, one of the biggest challenges of a “novel solution” driven start up is to “change the mindset” and hence the dynamics of the market. The smaller start-ups need more handholding from not only the existing and potential investors with regards to financial backing and patience but also from the community (Eg. doctors, if it is a life science focused start-up to test rigorously the newer “solution” being offered and adopt fast if it is ultimately going to help the end user – the patients!).