Microbiotica's $45M Boost: A New Era for Gut Health?

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-16

Microbiotica, a British biopharma company, just announced the first close of a €42 million ($45 million) Series C round. That's a big deal for a company developing precision microbiome medicines—especially for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). But what does it mean for the broader biotech scene? Let's break it down. ### The Financing Round The round was led by British Business Bank, with participation from Tencent, IP Group, Cambridge Innovation Capital, Flerie Invest, and Seventure Partners. All existing Series B investors joined in, which says a lot about their confidence. Tim Sharpington, Microbiotica's CEO, shared his excitement: > "This financing marks an important next stage for Microbiotica and reflects the significant progress we have made in translating our powerful genomics-driven microbiome platform into clinical-stage products, alongside developing a scalable and cost-effective manufacturing process." He added that the focus now is on taking MB310 into Phase 2 clinical development, where it could become a breakthrough treatment for ulcerative colitis. ### What Is MB310? MB310 is an orally-dosed precision microbiome medicine. In a Phase 1b study, it produced statistically significant clinical remission in ulcerative colitis patients—with no safety issues. That's promising, to say the least. Carmine Circelli, Senior Investment Director at British Business Bank, said: "We believe Microbiotica is emerging as a world leader in the development of microbiome therapeutics. Its Phase 1b study in ulcerative colitis produced statistically significant clinical remission, best in disease potential with no safety issues." If Phase 2 confirms those results, MB310 could be a major breakthrough for people living with ulcerative colitis. ### A Wave of European Biotech Investment Microbiotica's news comes amid a flurry of European biotech investments in 2026. Here's a quick rundown: - **mbiomics** (Germany) secured an additional €12 million ($13 million), bringing its Series A to €30 million ($32 million) for microbiome-based therapeutics. - **OutPost Bio** (UK) raised €2.9 million ($3.1 million) to expand its human microbiology modelling platform. - **Bionyra Pharma** (France) secured €143 million ($154 million) to develop treatments for inflammatory diseases, including IBD. - **Generare** (Paris) raised €20 million ($21.5 million) for microbial-genome-based drug discovery. - **Alchemab Therapeutics** (UK) received €29.3 million ($31.5 million) from British Business Bank to advance its clinical pipeline. Together, these announcements represent about €207.2 million ($223 million) in new financing, or €249.2 million ($268 million) including Microbiotica's round. That's a lot of capital flowing into European biotech—and it's not slowing down. ### Why This Matters Microbiotica was founded in 2016 as a spin-out from the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Its genomics-driven microbiome platform combines a diverse culture collection, a proprietary human Reference Genome Database, advanced bioinformatics, and machine learning. When applied to clinical trial data, it can identify bacteria linked to favorable outcomes in specific patient groups. The company has partnerships with MSD, Cancer Research UK, Genentech, The University of Adelaide, and Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. That's a strong network. Dr Sam Williams, Venture Partner at IP Group, said: "We have been very impressed by Microbiotica's progress since we first invested. There is an important opportunity to advance Microbiotica's precision microbiome approach into a larger clinical study." ### The Bigger Picture This funding isn't just about one company. It's a signal that microbiome therapeutics are gaining traction. With more investment flowing in, we could see significant advancements in treating IBD and other inflammatory diseases. And for patients, that's the real win. So, what's next? Microbiotica will use the funds to push MB310 into Phase 2 trials. If all goes well, we might be looking at a new standard of care for ulcerative colitis. Keep an eye on this space—it's moving fast.