ADM and Brightseed announce partnership to develop synbiotic products

Image courtesy of ADM and Brightseed.

ADM (Chicago, IL) and Brightseed (San Francisco, CA) have announced a global joint partnership to develop evidence-based synbiotic products for targeted microbiome optimization, with an undisclosed investment. Through the partnership, ADM will leverage Brightseed’s Forager artificial intelligence platform to find and interpret molecular interactions between plant bioactives and gut microbes, and the potential impact these connections may have on human health.

“We know from our recent research into global consumer trends that macro forces, including the lingering pandemic, have coincided with an increased demand for natural and plant-based solutions that target immune function, metabolic health, and mental well-being,” said Mark Lotsch, ADM’s president of global health and wellness, in a press release. “We are thrilled to partner with Brightseed to lead in state-of-the-art discovery on the microbiome, and to bring forward science-backed solutions that empower consumers toward proactive and individualized health.”

“Brightseed and ADM share the conviction that precision health outcomes for consumers should be driving category innovation,” said Sofia Elizondo, Brightseed’s co-founder and chief operating officer. “ADM's advanced understanding of the untapped potential of natural compounds, combined with their vast microbial libraries, is the sum total expertise that will redefine the future of ingredients to promote a healthy microbiome.”

According to Brightseed, using Forager to examine the relationship between plant bioactives and human gut microbes is a “monumental leap and expansion of Forager’s capabilities,” that could have major implications to how we understand and approach our health. With trillions of microbes in the gut, it’s an incredibly complex system of which our understanding is in its infancy. We all know that diet impacts our health, but a “missing link” in this relationship, says Brightseed, is the role microbes play. Forager may help decipher these interactions.

Brightseed has appointed Bethany Henrick, PhD, as vice president of microbiology to lead Brightseed in growing its microbiome capabilities. Henrick has a PhD in Medical Sciences with a specialty in infection and immunity from McMaster University, Canada. She holds multiple patents on immune system modulation and has been the principal investigator on multiple projects and publications investigating the role of the microbiome and early composition to advance infant health.