About NuMe Health
NuMe Vision
NuMe Health is developing evidence-based cobiotic™ products designed to alter bacterial populations in the GI tract to prevent and manage serious health conditions. NuMe's initial products and research are focused on prediabetes, diabetes and unhealthy body weight.
It has been a decade since Nobel laureate Joshua Lederberg used the term microbiome to refer to the totality of microbes, their genomes and their interactions in a defined environment. Since then, our understanding of the importance of the microbiome within the ecosystem of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract has expanded exponentially, and scientists now know that it can have a major impact on health. NuMe Health sees this rapid growth in knowledge about the human microbiome as an unprecedented opportunity to build a leadership position in this exciting new field that has so much potential to benefit human health.
NuMe's focus is on cobiotics, which are combinations of food components that we cannot digest but which act to control the Gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota and its environment. NuMe’s cobiotics are designed to encourage healthy bacteria, discourage unhealthy bacteria and create a healthy microbiota environment. Cobiotics are different from probiotics, which attempt to modify the composition of the bacteria in the GI tract by adding relatively small amounts of specific bacteria to the gut. NuMe’s cobiotics contain prebiotics, which provide nutrition that supports the growth of specific beneficial bacteria strains. Cobiotics also contain other components to help provide an optimal GI environment conducive for health.
NuMe's initial cobiotic products are derived from bioactive ingredients in edible plants that promote the growth of specific beneficial bacteria with the potential to positively affect metabolic conditions. NuMe's cobiotic products are evidence-based and are being developed using rigorous scientific methods, including human clinical studies, to assess and validate their health claims.
NuMe History
NuMe is an early stage company that was co-founded by natural foods entrepreneur John Elstrott, known for his key role in growing such companies as Celestial Seasonings and Whole Foods Market, and Dale Pfost, a successful biotechnology entrepreneur who has served as chief executive of six innovative life sciences firms. They recruited a highly experienced senior team that includes medical foods entrepreneur Dr. Dean Stull and metabolic physiology expert Dr. Mark Heiman. The founders located NuMe Health in New Orleans to leverage the region's leading scientific expertise in the fields of nutrition, metabolism and obesity. Initial funds were provided by the founders and Themelios Ventures, LP. The company completed an A1 round of financing in 2011 and a series A financing was completed in May, 2012, when NuMe also launched its first clinical trial for lead product NM504.