Cambiotics has raised $4.76m in an initial clinical trial to bring a probiotic supplement designed to flush forever chemicals from the body to life.
The initial funding will fuel a US clinical trial and enable the company to launch the probiotic supplement later this year.
The supplement, known as 46&, will initially be targeted towards groups with elevated exposure risk, particularly firefighters, who face heightened PFAS levels due to the chemicals’ presence in firefighting foam and fire-resistant gear.
Collaborative Fund investor Matt Kaufman commented: “Cambiotics is one of the first companies building a real path to removing PFAS from the body, and we couldn’t be more excited to be backing them.”
The growing dangers of forever chemicals
Forever chemicals show up in everything from nonstick cookware to the drinking water of more than 172 million people across the US.
They earned the “forever chemicals” nickname because they do not break down easily in the environment or in the human body.
According to the EPA, PFAS are found in water, air, fish, and soil worldwide, and scientific studies have linked exposure to certain PFAS to harmful health effects.
Some efforts are underway: the EPA recently announced it has prioritised expanded PFAS testing, revised compliance timelines for new drinking water standards, and increased funding for community water system upgrades.
“PFAS exposure is a massive and growing problem. These chemicals are everywhere; they stay in the body for years, and nearly everyone already carries a measurable burden,” Kaufman stated.
How a probiotic supplement helps flush chemicals out of the body
The idea behind the probiotic supplement is that certain gut bacteria can naturally absorb PFAS and help the body excrete them.
The trial research found that specific bacterial strains could bioaccumulate PFAS in the gastrointestinal tract, effectively capturing the chemicals as they pass through the gut and carrying them out of the body through digestion.
Marketed as a probiotic, the product contains two strains, 46-XY1 and 46-SL1, both described as natural, non-GMO and free of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) markers.
Cambiotics has also partnered with Quest Diagnostics to provide access to a PFAS blood test panel, allowing consumers to measure PFAS levels in their blood.
The company is also targeting early adopters in the biohacker and health-optimisation community. A waitlist is already live.
