Since the 1970s a 50% increase in allergies has been noted in infants. A decline in breastfeeding rates, increased formula-feeding, antibiotic-usage, and C-sections are linked to this as the early shaping of the gut microbiome influences the likelihood of developing chronic diseases.
BoobyBiome’s research has identified that the microbiome in breast milk is important in developing the gut microbiome. They have turned this into practical solutions for infant health, including a bottle that preserves the microbiome in expressed milk and a symbiotic that will provide breast milk bacteria and prebiotics that help infants’ gut microbiomes develop.
As a co-founder and CTO of BoobyBiome Dr Tara O’Driscoll oversees the scientific aspects of the business spearheading the data analysis efforts to generate recommendations for product development and company strategy. As the company grows, she sees her role developing in the areas of team management, corporate governance, investor relations, and product development.
Tara sees the Shott Scale Up Accelerator as an opportunity to access mentoring and training to support her in scaling up the business and effectively manage a growing team. She notes: “I want to use the networking opportunities to connect with peers who are at a similar stage of their business so we can learn from each other, and to connect with potential investors given our ongoing fundraising efforts.”
BoobyBiome are currently involved in a fundraising seed round to support conducting user testing, CE marking, and the manufacture and scale up of their first product. With the support of the Shott Scale Up Accelerator, Tara is, “looking forward to learning about what it entails to commercialise a hardware product, overseeing translation of our research into a tangible product for infants.”
