Cordlife Group Limited (Cordlife), a Singapore Exchange mainboard listed consumer healthcare company, and AMILI Pte Ltd (AMILI), recently announced a strategic partnership to provide the first-ever gut microbiome banking service in Singapore and the region.
This partnership synergises both companies’ core specialisations, gut microbiome processing and analysis by AMILI and cryopreservation by Cordlife, to allow people in Singapore to store their gut microbiome for future faecal microbiota transplants (FMT). Cordlife markets the gut microbiome banking service through its wholly-owned subsidiary Cordlife Technologies Pte Ltd.
Cordlife, as one of Asia’s pioneers in cryopreservation of umbilical cord blood obtained from babies, sees this partnership as another step towards expanding its cryopreservation expertise.
Tan Poh Lan, Cordlife’s Group CEO and Executive Director commented on the partnership: “We are excited to launch Southeast Asia’s first-ever gut microbiome banking service with AMILI, as we work together to develop a holistic approach for the well-being of our community.
“We hope our partnership will help patients in Singapore and the region with access to approved alternative medical therapy.”
Dr Jeremy Lim from AMILI said: “We doctors and scientists now know the importance of the gut microbiome in human health. With advances in genetic sequencing and computing, the secrets of the gut microbiome are being unlocked and new applications developed in conditions as diverse as autism, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes.“
FMT or gut microbiome transplantation is the transfer of healthy microbiomes from a healthy person into the gastrointestinal tract of a sick person to restore microbial balance. The transplantation is a widely accepted treatment for recurrent Clostridioides difficile (C diff) infection, with cure rates of up to 90 per cent. AMILI co-founder Adj Assoc Prof David Ong performed the first GMT for C diff in Singapore at the National University Hospital in 2014.
The gut microbiome describes the human gut’s trillions of bacteria, viruses and fungi. The microbiome is essential for human health and plays important role in immune function, metabolism, and brain health.
The microbiome deteriorates over time and can be severely affected by gut infections and prolonged use of antibiotics. — The Health
