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Int'l Business Times
a day ago
- Health
- Int'l Business Times
Cryptobiotix Founders On Redefining Microbiome With Predictive Precision And Cracking The Code Of Gut Health
While there have been many biotech innovations, one of the most powerful scientific frontiers is not in space or silicon, but the very human gut. The microbiome, with its vast ecosystem of bacteria, yeasts, and other microorganisms living in our digestive tract, has long been the subject of fascination. From grandmother's sourdough starter to kombucha on store shelves, the idea that 'good bacteria' contribute to health is ancient. But turning that folklore into predictive, clinical-grade science? That's very new and complex. And in this still-early phase of technological evolution, Cryptobiotix , co-founded by bioengineer Aurélien Baudot and long-time microbiome researcher Dr. Pieter Van den Abbeele, is quietly becoming one of the most influential pioneers in the space. Microbiome science has deep roots, centuries of fermentation practices, and decades of bacterial taxonomy, but its modern incarnation is only just maturing. Until recently, scientists could only examine single microbes on petri dishes. Even a decade ago, the best labs were identifying just a few bacterial strains in a sample. The gut was a black box: complex, inaccessible, and poorly understood. But advancements in DNA sequencing, metabolomics, and computing power have allowed researchers to peer into that black box and see not just individual species, but entire ecosystems. "Not so long ago, people were identifying one bacteria at a time," says Baudot. "Now we can simulate an entire digestive and microbial process, analyze hundreds of microbial species –and even strains– and map how they change in response to a product, ensuring clinical trials aren't entered blindly." Yet this is exactly where things get complicated. "The technology evolved fast," says Van den Abbeele, "but the blending of different elements like biology, automation, and predictive analytics has lagged in most companies." Although gut health products are being developed at scale, the understanding behind how they impact real-world consumers remains murky and inconsistent. That is exactly why Cryptobiotix was born. Rather than focusing on ideation, developing new probiotics or food additives, the Belgium-based preclinical research organization focuses on prediction: simulating how a product will interact with diverse microbiomes before it ever enters a human trial. "We're in the business of predictive laboratory simulation," Baudot explains. "We characterize how a given food, ingredient, or supplement changes and stimulates the microbiome of multiple individuals, because your gut is not the same as mine." This is done through what they call the SIFR technology, a nod to "cipher," as in decrypting the hidden language of the gut. Unlike standard in vitro methods, Cryptobiotix uses ex vivo techniques that preserve the identity of each donor microbiome. Fecal samples are collected, anaerobically processed to protect oxygen-sensitive bacteria, and fermented in tightly controlled bioreactors in which the microbiome can thrive. Each ingredient is tested across numerous individual microbiomes, generating thousands of data points on composition, activity, and downstream effects. This isn't just data: it's storytelling. "We condense all this into actionable insights," says Baudot. "We don't hand clients a spreadsheet. We give them a narrative: what their product does, how, and for whom." But the road hasn't been easy. In an industry still in its infancy, every step forward requires a rethinking of science, logistics, and business model. "Legacy models were either too simplistic or not scalable," says Van den Abbeele, who spent around fifteen years in preclinical gut microbiome research before co-founding the company. "The result? Many couldn't live up to the promise of accurately predicting clinical outcomes." Baudot's background in lab automation and AI filled that gap. Together, the duo rebuilt the pipeline from scratch, optimizing every stage from donor collection to data visualization and reporting. The company recently launched a biobank, a repository of richly annotated fecal samples, which allows them to test highly specific populations (like elderly women suffering from IBD) without needing new donors for every study. It's this blend of scientific rigor, transparency, and technical agility that sets Cryptobiotix apart. Cryptobiotix doesn't develop consumer products itself. Instead, the company enables the innovators — nutrition companies, biotech firms, and pharmaceutical organizations — who want their products backed by science. "We're helping clients understand whether their product has a potential link with depression, neurodegenerative conditions, or metabolic health before they invest millions in clinical trials," Baudot explains. While the company's services are robust, Van den Abbeele is quick to emphasize that they are not static. "We're constantly upgrading," he shares. "For us, the SIFR technology is a living system. The sky is truly the limit. Each improvement helps us expand the frontiers of microbiome science while supporting our clients on the road to success." This includes deeper metabolomics, better host-microbiome interaction modeling, and more nuanced simulations of the full digestive tract. "We're always asking: how can we simulate this better? Look at the data better? Predict better? Support our clients better?" Microbiome science may still be finding its footing, but companies like Cryptobiotix are helping the industry mature quickly and intelligently. In a space where the old meets the new, where kitchen wisdom meets cloud computing, it's not just about discovering the next innovation. It's about making sense of complex biological systems in a way that's actionable, reliable, and deeply human. Because at the edge of the unknown, it's the pioneers who bring the future into focus.
Associated Press
10-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Cryptobiotix Announces Its Next Evolutionary Step with Its Biobank Initiative to Accelerate Microbiome Innovation
06/10/2025, Ghent, Belgium // PRODIGY: Feature Story // Cryptobiotix, a next-generation preclinical research organization pioneering microbiome modeling through its proprietary SIFR platform, announces the launch of its biobank, marking the next phase in its continuous evolution. Co-founders Aurélien Baudot and Dr. Pieter Van den Abbeele founded Cryptobiotix to solve a critical gap in the field: the dreaded Valley of Death. Traditional preclinical testing is still slow or inaccurate, this could lead not only to delays but ultimately threaten the overall product development and launch. Now, with the launch of its biobank, the company is not just optimizing that core mission. It's redefining what's possible in microbiome research. 'We've always focused on delivering actionable insights, with the highest standards of scientific integrity, all while keeping to the tight deadlines our clients require,' says Baudot. 'We already had a streamlined process, but the biobank takes it to the next level. It's a small internal improvement, but one that has an exponential impact on our clients' workflows.' The Cryptobiotix biobank is more than just a freezer. It is a storage solution where cryo-stabilized gut microbiome samples are sourced, characterized, and stored under proprietary conditions that preserve both structure and function. This allows clients to build or tap into pre-qualified, pre-characterized microbiome samples instantly, bypassing weeks (sometimes months) of sourcing delays. In typical studies, donor sourcing can extend project timelines by two to eight weeks. But now, with tailored microbiome 'vaults' built to client specifications, those timelines shrink dramatically. Beyond speed, the biobank dramatically improves data granularity. Instead of working with random microbiomes, Cryptobiotix clients can now access specific metadata, such as diet, delivery method, age, country of origin, and more, to correlate clinical results to individual microbiome traits. 'It gives us immediate access to not just a 'baby microbiome,'' explains Dr. Van den Abbeele. 'It provides us access to a C-section baby, breastfed, and born in a specific country. This kind of clarity allows our partners to refine their experiment to the specific needs of their own business.' This opens the door for better responder/non-responder analysis and more refined product design, all essential for consumer health companies, nutrition innovators, and pharma organizations. The biobank fits seamlessly into Cryptobiotix's ex vivo modular SIFR platform, which simulates the entire gastrointestinal tract to understand the interplay between test products and the gut microbiome across individuals. By combining high throughput with validated predictivity, the company reduces development time and risk for clients worldwide. Cryptobiotix's research and development have also expanded into disease-rate simulation, including antibiotic-induced dysbiosis, acute infections, and Clostridium difficile modeling, helping therapeutic developers understand how interventions behave in both healthy and disrupted microbiomes. The company's precision is unmatched, wherein clients get a clearer view of how interventions truly behave in humans. While the launch of the biobank is an exciting milestone for the Cryptobiotix team, it is a natural, incremental evolution in its long-term strategy. 'For us, this is a stepping stone,' the founders say. 'We're already leveraging the data generated to train smarter analytics because the real future lies in making sense of complex microbiome datasets in ways the industry hasn't seen before.' Cryptobiotix is already exploring how its biobank can support longitudinal sample tracking, enabling comparisons of the same microbiome over time, even as donors' diets or health statuses change. This could offer clients unprecedented insights into microbiome stability, intervention reproducibility, and formulation refinements. With its cryo-stabilization method, perfected through hundreds of iterations, Cryptobiotix ensures the microbiome samples stored in its biobank retain their identity, empowering clients to revisit, reuse, and retest on demand. Media Contact Name: Cryptobiotix Team Email: [email protected] There is no offer to sell, no solicitation of an offer to buy, and no recommendation of any security or any other product or service in this article. Moreover, nothing contained in this should be construed as a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any investment or security, or to engage in any investment strategy or transaction. It is your responsibility to determine whether any investment, investment strategy, security, or related transaction is appropriate for you based on your investment objectives, financial circumstances, and risk tolerance. Consult your business advisor, attorney, or tax advisor regarding your specific business, legal, or tax situation.
