Brightseed, a biotech startup using AI to discover natural bioactive compounds, announced results from a peer-reviewed clinical trial showing its BioMetaControl supplement significantly improved glycaemic control in adults with prediabetes. The study was published in Bioactive Compounds in Health and Disease. The four-week trial involved 126 adults with prediabetes who received either a supplement containing 120 mg/day of N-trans caffeoyltyramine and N-trans feruloyltyramine or a placebo. Participants taking the bioactives experienced statistically significant reductions in fasting blood glucose compared to placebo, along with improvements in fasting insulin and postprandial glucose response. The compounds were identified through Brightseed's AI-powered discovery engine and act as potent agonists of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha, which plays a role in glucose regulation. No adverse events were reported.

Brightseed has launched Bio Gut Core, which has been shown to strengthen the gut barrier and reduce bloating and abdominal pain in a new human clinical trial.

[Disclosure: AgFunderNews’ parent company AgFunder is an investor in Brightseed.]Brightseed, a startup harnessing AI to discover plant bioactives, has launched Bio Gut Core, a nutraceutical containing NCT and NFT, two compounds found to improve gut barrier function in a recent human clinical trial.A compromised gut barrier may lead to a “leaky gut,” which is associated with dysbiosis, inflammation, and poor nutrient absorption along with bloating, gas, diarrhea, and constipation, claims Brightseed.“The gut barrier acts like a protective shield in the digestive system, providing a thriving environment for the gut microbiome, ensuring optimal nutrient absorption, and filtering out toxic and undesirable elements. Until now, supplements targeting gut barrier function have required unfeasibly large doses while delivering questionable results.”“Competing supplements require 3-5g per dose, whereas Bio Gut Core delivers a low-dose (120mg), easy to formulate alternative that is clinically backed.”Brightseed has previously supplied NFT and NCT (N-trans-caffeoyl tyramine and N-trans-feruloyl tyramine), via Bio Gut Fiber, an ingredient sourced from upcycled hemp hulls. The new Bio Gut Core product is a high-purity powder blend of NFT and NCT produced via precision fermentation, enabling the ingredients to be used in a wider range of products, a spokesperson told AgFunderNews.“Bio Gut Core features NCT and NFT with higher potency optimized for efficacy. It is easy to formulate across multiple applications, including capsules, tablets, soft gels, ready-to-mix, and ready-to-drink products.”The spokesperson added: “We have received interest from existing and prospective customers. Even in this pre-launch period, customer demand has far outpaced our expectations from innovators across the food, beverage, supplement, and digestive health space.”Leaky gutA double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial, which Brightseed says should be published in a peer-reviewed journal this summer, showed that NCT and NFT can help maintain the integrity of the gut barrier, enabling the uptake of essential nutrients but keeping out unwanted pathogens.Subjects also reported a reduction in bloating and belly pain after three weeks of supplementation with a [daily] 120mg dose of Bio Gut Core, said the spokesperson.Asked what claims companies can make on pack, the spokesperson said: “While product specific claims are to be decided and evaluated by each customer, a few example claims include, ‘Clinically shown to improve gut barrier integrity compared to placebo in less than a month’ or ‘Bio Gut Core is clinically shown to provide a stronger gut barrier and relief from bloating and belly pain within three weeks.'”AI-powered discoveryLaunched by Sofia Elizondo, Dr Lee Chae, and Dr Jim Flatt in 2017, Brightseed​​ has built a vast database of plant-based compounds associated with biological targets. Its AI-powered Forager platform then predicts how previously untapped plant components might confer specific health benefits and helps identify the optimal way to source or produce them at commercial scale.This might mean extracting them from a plant source or by understanding the metabolic pathways that plants use to produce these compounds and then using those pathways as a blueprint for producing them via precision fermentation, for example.To maximize its potential, Brightseed is both developing its own bioactives such as NFT and NCT and working with a wide range of partners including Haleon, Ocean Spray and Danone on other projects.Some of Brightseed’s partners are looking to discover and commercialize new bioactives, while others are looking to learn more about the composition and health benefits of products that may already be in their portfolios, explained CCO Sofia Elizondo in a recent interview with AgFunderNews