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OptiBiotix Health Plc (AIM: OPTI), a life sciences business developing compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes provides a research update on its research and development programmes.

Human studies on a capsular food supplement to reduce cholesterol

OptiBiotix announced in December 2014 that it had 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.

The study commenced at the start of January with the 50 volunteers separated into three groups containing 10, 20, and 20 volunteers respectively. Groups one and two and more than half of group three will have passed the halfway point (six weeks) of treatment and testing by the end of April. The study is expected to complete on schedule in July allowing data analysis and reporting in September as planned.

Novel Sugars

OptiBiotix announced on March 10th 2015 that it had contracted NIZO Food Research BV ("NIZO"), to screen 360 strains of bacteria for the presence of enzymes which produce novel oligosaccharides (carbohydrates that consists of a small number of sugars). The aim of this work is to identify non-digestible sugarswith the potential to act as calorie free sweeteners, and/or selectively enhance the growth rate of specific microbial strains, species, and genera, to modulate the human microbiome.

The first phase of that work is now complete and has shown:-

• High enzyme activity in a number of Lactobacilli species tested, supporting earlier data;
• Very high enzyme activity in a number of strains of a second species tested, suggesting the potential to produce high volume of sugars; and
• Medium activity in a number of strains of a third species tested. This is the first report to our knowledge of such an assessment of this species and is likely to be the subject of future patent filings.

Ten strains demonstrating high enzyme production are undergoing additional testing to allow scale up and determination of sugar structure before testing of their physical (sweetness) and microbiome modulating properties.

Stephen O'Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, commented: "We are pleased to announce that all research programmes remain on schedule and that we have identified the potential to create new sugars from a wider range of microbial species than originally anticipated. Whilst still at an early stage of development, the ability to create sugars from different species broadens the number of application areas and product and partner opportunities and mitigates development risk."

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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.