Microbiotica's $46M Raise: A New Era for IBD Treatment?

Jan de Vries · 2026-10-16

Microbiotica, a British biopharma company, just closed a $46 million Series C round. That's a big deal for a company developing precision microbiome medicines. The financing was led by British Business Bank, with Tencent, IP Group, and others joining in. All existing Series B investors also participated. This isn't just about the money—it's about what it means for people with ulcerative colitis. ### What the Funding Means for Patients Microbiotica's lead candidate, MB310, is an oral treatment for ulcerative colitis. It's already shown promise in Phase 1b trials. The new funds will push it into Phase 2, where it could prove to be a game-changer. CEO Tim Sharpington says the financing "reflects the significant progress we have made in translating our powerful genomics-driven microbiome platform into clinical-stage products." In plain English: they're turning science into medicine, and it's working. ### The Microbiome Gold Rush Microbiotica isn't alone. European biotech is buzzing with investment. Germany's mbiomics added $13 million to its Series A, while France's Bionyra Pharma raised a whopping $157 million for inflammatory disease treatments. In the UK, Alchemab Therapeutics got $32 million. Add it all up, and you're looking at over $227 million in new financing—$273 million if you include Microbiotica's round. That's a lot of cash flowing into microbiome research. > "We believe Microbiotica is emerging as a world leader in the development of microbiome therapeutics." — Carmine Circelli, British Business Bank ### How It Works Microbiotica's platform is built on genomics. They have a massive collection of microbiome cultures and a proprietary database of human reference genomes. Using machine learning, they can pinpoint which bacteria are linked to positive outcomes in clinical trials. It's like finding a needle in a haystack, but with DNA. Founded in 2016 as a spin-out from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the company has already partnered with big names like MSD and Genentech. ### What's Next? The Phase 2 trial for MB310 will be crucial. If it confirms the Phase 1b results—statistically significant clinical remission with no safety issues—it could be a major breakthrough. Dr. Sam Williams of IP Group says, "There is an important opportunity to advance Microbiotica’s precision microbiome approach into a larger clinical study." For patients, that can't come soon enough. So, keep an eye on Microbiotica. The microbiome space is heating up, and this funding might just be the spark that lights the fire.