NuMe Health, the New Orleans-based biotech startup developing products that modify the bacteria that live in the gastrointestinal tract, today announced that it has closed a $1.5 million Series A financing. NuMe also announced that the company is initiating a clinical trial of its lead cobiotic product, NM504, which is being developed for the prediabetic population to support maintenance of healthy blood glucose levels and metabolic fitness.
NuMe health previously raised a $675,000 seed round and recently filed several patents.
The Series A financing was led by existing investor BVM Capital with the participation of company insiders, and several new private investors also joined in the round. The company intends to use the funds to advance NM504 towards commercialization, including developing the initial format for its first consumer product, completing the pilot clinical trial and preparing for an initial direct-to-consumer launch.
“This is an exciting time for NuMe Health as we initiate the first clinical trial of our lead cobiotic product and begin to prepare for commercial launch,” said Dean P. Stull, PhD, chief executive officer of NuMe Health. “We are pleased that our investors appreciate the potential of our revolutionary approach to support healthy blood glucose levels and metabolic fitness, and we are delighted that the trial will be conducted at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, which has a global reputation for its clinical research in obesity and metabolic diseases.”
NM504 contains a proprietary blend of prebiotic and other ingredients formulated to help prediabetic individuals achieve healthy blood glucose levels and manage their body weight by altering the composition of their GI bacteria. Prediabetes is a condition in which individuals have blood glucose levels higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes. According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people with prediabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. NM504 supports the activity of bacteria that inhibit appetite signals and stimulate satiety signals, and it also inhibits bacteria that convert undigested nutrients into extra calories. In addition, NM504 shifts the bacteria environment of the microbiome to decrease the absorption of sugar and cholesterol.
Cobiotics are combinations of naturally occurring food components that are not digested but that act to control GI bacteria in beneficial ways. NuMe’s initial cobiotic products are derived from bioactive plant ingredients that promote the growth of specific bacteria with the potential to positively affect metabolic conditions. NuMe’s cobiotic products are evidence-based and are being developed using rigorous scientific methods and clinical studies to assess and validate their claims.