Investors

OptiBiotix Health Plc (AIM: OPTI), a life sciences business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes, announces the successful completion of local research ethics approval and early recruitment for human studies on its capsular food supplement to reduce cholesterol.

As announced last month, OptiBiotix contracted the University of Reading to undertake human studies on 50 subjects who have high cholesterol and its associated increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). The aim of the study is to establish the extent of the cholesterol lowering potential of its product.

All testing on human subjects requires a local research ethics committee to consider the principles of proposed research and to protect the rights, safety, dignity and well-being of research participants. Reading has successfully achieved this important milestone, and subject to external verification, this allows commencement of the human studies in January 2015.

The University of Reading has identified interest from 50 volunteers who meet the study inclusion criteria from their extensive database. These volunteers will be formally recruited on commencement of the studies.

Stephen O'Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, commented: "Ethics approval and study recruitment are known risks in any human study and we are delighted to have secured such a high level of interest so quickly. We are extremely pleased with achieving these important milestones and look forward to the commencement of the human studies in January 2015".

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About OptiBiotix - www.optibiotix.com

OptiBiotix was formed in March 2012 to develop compounds which modify the human microbiome - the collective genome of the microbes in the body - to prevent and manage human disease.

The aim of OptiBiotix is to discover and develop microbial strains, compounds and formulations, which modulate the human microbiome and can be used as food ingredients and supplements or active compounds for the prevention and management of human metabolic diseases, examples of which include obesity, cholesterol and lipid distribution and diabetes.

OptiBiotix has established a pipeline of microbiome modulators that can impact on lipid and cholesterol management, energy harvest and appetite suppression. The development pipeline is fuelled by its proprietary OptiScreen® and OptiBiotic® platform technologies designed to identify metabolic pathways and compounds that impact on human physiology and bring potential health benefits. These platforms are applicable across a wider range of other human diseases.