Seed Health’s Post

At this year’s Digestive Disease Week® (DDW), we presented new clinical data from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials with our flagship innovation, DS-01® Daily Synbiotic. One trial assessed the recovery effects of DS-01® on individuals during and following antibiotic usage, and the other evaluated DS-01® in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). So far, the data from these studies is promising, with findings that underscore our mission to transform breakthrough microbiome science into meaningful health impact. As Zain Kassam MD, MPH, our Chief Medical Officer¹, puts it: "DS-01® was formulated to maximize genomic diversity and set an entirely new standard in probiotics. Our latest clinical data expands DS-01®'s potential health impact, broadens its clinical use cases, and helps dispel the common perception in the medical community that all probiotics are created equal." Kudos to Zain and Brooke Ann Napier for representing Seed at DDW, and the rest of our R+D team, including Dirk Gevers and Sheri Simmons, for contributing to these foundational studies. And thank you for having us, DDW. We’re grateful for the opportunity to gather alongside the world’s leading gastroenterology clinicians, researchers, and industry experts to exchange ideas and research that will advance the field. • ¹ Last month, Zain Kassam officially joined Seed Health as Chief Medical Officer to lead our clinical research and medical affairs. An award-winning physician-scientist, Zain has played a pivotal role in the advancement of microbiome science for over a decade. He co-founded and was Chief Medical Officer at two of the most foundational microbiome therapeutics companies, OpenBiome and Finch Therapeutics, and his extensive body of work includes over 200 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts. He has also championed more than 30 Phase I-III clinical trials with top-tier academic institutions across multiple therapeutic areas. When new team members join Seed, they’re asked to share a six-word story of themselves. Zain said, “Science for everyday health at scale”. We couldn’t agree more. Welcome, Zain.

Today marks a milestone moment for us—one that we’ve been working towards since our inception: the launch of VS-01™, our first innovation for vaginal health. 🚀 For the last two decades, Dr. Jacques Ravel's pioneering research has elucidated the crucial role of the vaginal microbiome in gynecological, urogenital, and reproductive health. Propelled by the unmet needs, lived experiences, and data gaps in women’s health, we’ve leveraged Dr. Ravel’s research to unlock the vast potential of this ecosystem. Enter VS-01™, the first and only clinically validated vaginal synbiotic to rapidly establish and sustain an optimal vaginal microbiome dominated by Lactobacillus crispatus, the vagina’s most protective bacteria. VS-01™ represents a new era of vaginal care—one that finally addresses the source, not just the symptoms—and embodies the very essence of why our co-founders Raja Dhir and Ara Katz founded Seed: To translate pioneering microbiome discoveries into life-changing health innovations. For all of us, it is especially meaningful to accelerate advancements in this area of health that has been so deprioritized and systemically overlooked. As we celebrate this collective effort, we’d like to thank the remarkable humans who helped bring  VS-01™ into the world: Dr. Jacques Ravel, whose life's work prioritized vaginal health when science and medicine didn’t.   The thousands of people with vaginas who participated across two decades of vaginal research. Our scientists and intrepid team, who have worked tirelessly to transform these discoveries into real-world impact. The vaginal microbiome represents a much-needed revolution in women’s health.  VS-01™ is a step towards realizing its vast potential.

On a landmark expedition supported by our environmental division, SeedLabs, microbiologist Dr. Braden Tierney traveled to Sicily with his global team of The Two Frontiers Project scientists in search of carbon-eating microbes living in extreme environments. What did they discover? A volcanic microbe that is exceptionally efficient at consuming CO2, unlocking new potential in carbon capture technology. We’re excited to share that this initiative has been selected as a finalist for Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards. It all started with a question: If microbes have managed to adapt to some of the most inhospitable habitats, could we leverage their capabilities to solve some of our planet’s most pressing issues? …And evolved into a discovery that could offer unique solutions for our planet's climate crisis. We are incredibly grateful for this recognition and look forward to expanding our work with The Two Frontiers Project this year. Congratulations to our collaborators at The Two Frontiers Project, University of Palermo, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, the local community of Vulcano, Harvard Medical School, Weill Cornell Medicine, Colorado State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. See the full list of honorees here: https://lnkd.in/e4HzRFFd

“The microbiome completely reshapes the way we’ve always thought about health—our understanding of biology, our understanding of our bodies, our understanding of our connectivity to the living world, to Earth, to each other. We use that same construct to say, ‘How can the brand itself be disruptive to some of the traditional ways we think about marketing?’” Today in Ad Age, our Co-Founder Ara Katz and Chief Creative Officer Charles Fulford on our ‘anti-marketing’ marketing philosophy. Thank you, Tim Nudd for the kind words. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/e72QE-5V

New from SeedLabs: “Extreme” Microbes for Novel Solutions to the Climate Crisis CO₂ is warming the planet at record levels.¹ The need for innovative solutions has never been more urgent. That’s where microbes come in. At Seed, we firmly believe that microbes hold the key to addressing some of our planet’s most pressing issues. Our environmental R+D program, SeedLabs, was founded to realize this potential. Since its inception, we’ve asked big questions to uncover what Earth’s tiniest organisms can do: Can they save honey bees? Can they restore coral reefs? Can they enrich soil? Can they upcycle plastic? In Space? Now, we pose our next big question: Can we leverage microbes to capture CO₂ and transform it into something useful? Today, we’re thrilled to share a new initiative with The Two Frontiers Project—a global team of scientists dedicated to studying life in extreme environments—to discover microorganisms that thrive in extreme, CO₂-rich environments and use their unique biochemistry to enhance carbon sequestration and transform CO₂ into sustainable products. These efforts will be led by the brilliant Dr. Braden Tierney, co-founder and Executive Director of 2FP. Our world of the microbiome offers a profound opportunity to evolve how sustainability is defined and realized, expanding beyond traditional metrics like packaging and certifications. We’re inspired to accelerate this work with 2FP, bringing us one step closer to realizing the potential of microbes for a more sustainable future. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ed3kuuma • ¹ In less than 200 years, atmospheric CO2 has increased 50% due to human activities, and CO2 levels today are higher than at any point in human history.

Today, in partnership with Nature Awards, we’re excited to announce the launch of Microbiome Accelerator, a new initiative designed to fast-track groundbreaking microbiome research into real-world health innovations. This initiative will help translate pivotal discoveries for commercial impact, ensuring the utmost scientific integrity and excellence at every step. Applications are now open for microbiome researchers looking to translate their work into tangible solutions for human health. Four teams will be selected to collectively receive $100,000+ in funding and services, and attend an immersive residential program (featuring specialized training and workshops across discovery, development, clinical validation, and go-to-market strategy) in London this fall. Apply now (due June 24, 2024): https://lnkd.in/dznSmJVB

🌱 In Search Of: Director, Product Design 🌱 For us, “design” goes far beyond visual guidelines. It permeates through everything that we do, and is a primary mechanism for storytelling and scientific translation. We are looking for a Superorganism with an interdisciplinary background spanning design, product, and user experience to create and execute perspective-shifting digital brand experiences and manage a team of exceptional product designers. If this sounds like you, or someone you know: https://lnkd.in/eDZPCiHt

Beautiful Bacteria—in print. Last week, Tal Danino—scientist, artist, and longtime friend of Seed—released his first book Beautiful Bacteria in collaboration with Rizzoli International Publications. In 183 stunning pages, Tal unveils a collection of his most breathtaking work, shedding light on the complexity, intricacy, and beauty of a world that is typically invisible to the naked eye. The New York Times shared a fascinating review of Beautiful Bacteria, describing a handful of images from the book: “E. coli, blobbed like jellyfish against a multicolored field, recalls the light art of Joshua White. Dental plaque, set against the rich red of ‘blood agar,’ festers into sharp strokes, like calligraphy. Certain probiotics, bubbling and tessellated, evoke Brett Weston’s close-up photos of pan grease.” Read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/ewX6R_Ru

𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘉𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢 by Tal Danino from Rizzoli International Publications. Tal—a longtime friend of Seed—is a multidisciplinary artist and scientist engineering the invisible world of bacteria into works of bio-art. For the first time, a breathtaking collection of his most impressive pieces are published in print. With a captivating foreword by artist Vik Muiniz and postscript by our co-founder and co-CEO Ara Katz, this book is not only a collection of art but, as Ara stated, “...this book is an invitation. Embracing microbes empowers us to think and act in ecosystems, to consider the broader ecologies of our communities, our families, our environment. With them, our anthropocentric view crumbles, revealing a more intricate tapestry, an urgent reminder that all life is connected.” Now available at all your favorite bookstores.