PhenoBiome says MAPLE trial lifted gut diversity and validated Perseus Biomics platform

PhenoBiome reported that its eight-week MAPLE trial met its primary microbiome endpoint, with gut microbial diversity rising in adults using a personalized prebiotic supplement. The company also said Perseus Biomics’ DynaMAP platform matched sequencing-based readouts well enough to serve as the trial’s profiling tool.

Why it matters: - The MAPLE trial suggests a personalized prebiotic can increase gut microbial diversity in adults. - The study also gives PhenoBiome and Perseus Biomics a validated measurement platform for future microbiome-targeted products. - Quality-of-life gains and gastrointestinal symptom improvements may strengthen the case for the formulation beyond microbiome readouts.

What happened: - PhenoBiome reported results from MAPLE, an eight-week clinical trial of a personalized nutritional prebiotic supplement in adults. - The trial ran with Perseus Biomics using the DynaMAP microbiome-profiling platform. - The study met its primary microbiome endpoint. - Species-level Shannon diversity rose by 0.55 points, from 4.91 to 5.46, with p = 0.010. - Eight of 12 completers gained diversity versus their own baseline.

The details: - The diversity gain came from sub-dominant species rather than a reshuffling of the most abundant members. - The six leading genera stayed broadly stable, moving from 54.2% of the community at baseline to 52.9% afterward, with p = 0.85. - Genus-level Shannon diversity increased by 0.41, with p = 0.034. - Species richness moved higher by 56 observed species per sample, but the change did not reach significance at this sample size, with p = 0.052. - PhenoBiome qualified DynaMAP before any treatment analysis. - Twenty-one samples were profiled on both DynaMAP and shotgun whole-genome sequencing with MetaPhlAn 4. - The two methods ranked participants consistently, with median Spearman ρ = 0.85. - Pearson r ranged from 0.78 to 0.95 across the six dominant genera. - The methods placed samples on the same side of the clinical reference range in more than 70% of cases. - Based on that performance, DynaMAP was approved as the trial’s profiling platform. - On the SF-36 quality-of-life survey, Energy/Fatigue improved by 8.8 points and General Health improved by 7.4 points. - Six of the eight SF-36 domains improved. - 43% of participants qualified as responders. - Most participants reported improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms over the eight weeks. - Changes in abdominal pain and constipation tracked with changes in perceived stress, with r = 0.55 and r = 0.51. - PhenoBiome and Perseus Biomics said they plan to examine the gut-brain pattern further.

Between the lines: - The trial does more than show a microbiome shift; it pairs that shift with a measurement system the companies say was benchmarked against sequencing first. - A stable signal in dominant genera, alongside gains in diversity and evenness, suggests the supplement may be affecting lower-abundance organisms more than the core community. - The reported speed of DynaMAP matters because microbiome studies often struggle with slow turnaround times that limit iteration during development. - Some participants reported gastrointestinal effects during the trial, mostly mild and transient, which may influence future formulation work. - PhenoBiome said those observations are informing slow-release approaches and dose titration for future studies. - Didier Perez, PhenoBiome president and collaboration lead, said the companies plan to keep building on the validated platform and microbiome signal. - Melissa Meert, director of market development at Perseus Biomics, said the head-to-head comparison with sequencing showed the platform could deliver fast and precise insights.

What's next: - PhenoBiome and Perseus Biomics said they will continue working together. - The companies plan to use DynaMAP to guide development and measurement of PhenoBiome’s microbiome-targeted products. - Future studies will likely focus on formulation changes, including slow-release approaches and dose titration, as well as the gut-brain relationship suggested by the symptom data.

The bottom line: - MAPLE gives PhenoBiome a positive readout on both product effect and measurement quality, creating a cleaner runway for follow-on microbiome studies.