The facility is scheduled to be operational in early 2023 with additional capabilities to come online later in 2023. It is designed to complement the company’s existing facilities in Lincoln, NE, which are dedicated to the discovery of new probiotic strains.
The Madison facility is being constructed specifically to support probiotics in a quality-focused, GMP environment that features very low humidity levels in all areas where probiotic ingredients will be found, said the company in a release. It will also feature new lab space for the rapid screening of new probiotics for growth and stability.
Synbiotic Health was founded in 2018 by Dr Robert Hutkins and Dr Andy Benson with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Food for Health Center; Dr Jens Walter with APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork; and Dr Tom Burkey, an animal scientist with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
The company offers two probiotics commercially: iVS-1 (clinically studied) and iVE-15 (laboratory researched). Further clinical studies to demonstrate the health benefits of these novel ingredients are currently underway, with additional future studies planned for 2023 and 2024, according to the company.
The next level
When fully operational in 2023, the Madison site is expected to employ a workforce of up to thirty-five employees, which will include technical, operations and administrative personnel.
In addition to the R&D and commercial activities that will be operational at launch, the facility is expected to expand in the future with the addition of new services and capabilities that will provide added value to the dietary supplement market.
Tim Brummels, President and CEO of Synbiotic Health, said the expansion is strategically aligned with the company’s goals.
“It brings our legacy of expertise in Nebraska, which is focused on discovery, to the next level. We are investing in the next phase of microbiome health: post-discovery development and commercialization that will efficiently bring products to market,” he said.
Recognition
Synbiotic Health also recently received the 2022 Governor’s Bioscience Award, presented by Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts, an annual award presented to an individual or company that has made significant contributions to Nebraska’s bioscience industry.
In accepting the award, Brummels said, “We are proud to be able to take some of Nebraska’s leading academic science and turn it into innovative products that are unmatched in the global probiotics industry. We expect to deliver the same high level of scientific expertise at commercial scale from our new site in Madison.”
