A potential explosion of microbiome therapeutics

Manipulating the microbiome is increasingly becoming a viable route to treatment. Scientists are finding that diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes can all be influenced in some way by the flora in the gastrointestinal tract — and an increasing number of clinical programs are looking for ways to turn microbes into medicine. Behold: 

Peter Bak, vice president for life science strategy at Back Bay Life Science Advisors, opines for STAT that the future of microbiome-related therapies is in its formative stages — but has attracted the eye of large biopharma and the broader marketplace. A ton of VC funding has already poured into the space, and the potential for legit microbial therapeutics will continue to expand.