Learning New Tricks from Pathogenic Bacteria to Target the Microbiome

The microbiome, the community of bacteria that live within and on our bodies, has become an area of increasing interest to drug developers, who see the potential to both target these microorganisms and exploit them for therapeutic benefit. Scioto Biosciences has developed a biofilm platform that it believes can better deliver and protect beneficial bacteria to treat disease. The lead indication the company is pursuing is necrotizing enterocolitis, a rare condition primarily afflicting premature newborns that causes portions of the bowel to die. We spoke to Joe Trebley, CEO of Scioto, about the microbiome, the company’s platform technology, and how it is exploiting something usually thought of in the context of pathogenic bacteria to help beneficial bacteria thrive.