Cargill Invests in Evolve BioSystems Infant Gut Health Probiotic
Global food giant Cargill and investment firm Manna Tree have led a $55 million funding round for Evolve BioSystems to support its probiotic aimed at improving infant gut health.
AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CONGLOMERATE Cargill, alongside investment firm Manna Tree, has led a $55 million Series D funding round for biotechnology company Evolve BioSystems. The investment will support the continued commercialization of Evolve BioSystems' proprietary probiotic designed to improve infant gut health.
The capital infusion is intended to help Evolve BioSystems further commercialize its next-generation probiotic. The company states that over 90 percent of infants in the U.S. experience a deficiency in Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis (B. infantis), a bacteria considered critical for the infant gut microbiome.
The probiotic, branded as Evivo, contains activated B. infantis EVC001. Clinical studies, according to Evolve BioSystems, indicate that Evivo helps restore this bacteria to the infant gut, potentially reducing harmful bacteria and alleviating inflammation. These issues have been linked to increased risks of conditions such as colic, diaper rash, eczema, asthma, allergies, and Type 1 diabetes.
Chuck Warta, president of Cargill's health technologies business, commented on the investment, stating that Evivo has the potential to be a highly distinctive probiotic for infants. "Our goal is to help people live more healthy days right from the start," Warta said. Cargill and Manna Tree will join Evolve BioSystems' board of directors as part of the investment.
Evolve BioSystems is also collaborating with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to assess Evivo's impact on infants with severe acute malnutrition in Bangladesh. The company is a spin-off from the Foods for Health Institute at the University of California, Davis.