BoobyBiome

About BoobyBiome

BoobyBiome is a UK-based biotechnology company founded in 2019 by Dr. Lydia Mapstone (CEO), Dr. Sioned Fôn Jones (COO), and Dr. Tara O'Driscoll (CTO). The founders, who met during their PhDs, leveraged their collective expertise in microbiology, neuroscience, chemistry, and biophysics to address rising infant diseases linked to underdeveloped gut microbiomes. The company's mission is to provide every infant with the beneficial bacteria of breast milk, regardless of how they are fed, to support long-term health.

The company is developing two main products. The first is a synbiotic supplement, a combination of probiotic microbes isolated from breast milk and prebiotic fibers. This supplement is designed to be added to formula or expressed breast milk to help establish a healthy gut microbiome in infants, particularly those who are formula-fed, born via C-section, or premature. The second product is a patented baby bottle accessory with a cartridge that removes oxygen, designed to preserve the natural microbiome in pumped and stored breast milk and extend its viability. BoobyBiome operates on a for-profit business model and aims to be the first to secure an EU-approved health claim for an infant probiotic, a key differentiator in a market of less regulated supplements.

Headquartered at the Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, BoobyBiome has established the world's first breast milk microbiome database and biobank through collaborations with hundreds of donating mothers. The company has secured over £2 million in funding through various grants, including the Innovate UK Biomedical Catalyst, and investment from firms such as Venrex and Discovery Park Ventures. A recent £1.6 million grant from Innovate UK is accelerating the testing and scaling of its synbiotic product, with the goal of preparing it for clinical trials and commercial launch.