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.
