Cambiotics says its probiotic supplement is designed to flush PFAS from the body. Its seed funding will fuel a U.S. clinical trial and product launch later this year
If you’ve been paying attention to the wellness space, you’ve probably heard of PFAS, the so-called “forever chemicals” that show up in everything from nonstick cookware to the drinking water of more than 172 million people across the U.S.
What you might not have heard is that one biotech startup intends to remove them from your body.
Copenhagen-based Cambiotics has closed a €4 million ($4.76 million) seed round to bring its first product, a probiotic supplement called 46&, to market in the U.S. The round was led by Collaborative Fund, with participation from EIFO (the Danish Export and Investment Fund), DK and True.
The funding will go toward launching the company’s first human clinical trial in the U.S. and prepping for the commercial rollout of 46&, which is slated for later this year.
PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a group of thousands of synthetic chemicals used in a wide range of consumer and industrial products. They earned the “forever chemicals” nickname because they do not break down easily in the environment or in the human body.
According to the EPA, PFAS are found in water, air, fish and soil across the globe and scientific studies have linked exposure to certain PFAS to harmful health effects. Some efforts are underway: the EPA recently announced it has prioritized expanded PFAS testing, revised compliance timelines for new drinking water standards and increased funding for community water system upgrades.
“PFAS exposure is a massive and growing problem,” Collaborative Fund investor Matt Kaufman said. “These chemicals are everywhere; they stay in the body for years and nearly everyone already carries a measurable burden. As research continues, it’s becoming increasingly clear that PFAS are linked to a wide range of negative health outcomes. Today, there are no practical ways to remove them.”
“Cambiotics is one of the first companies building a real path to removing PFAS from the body, and we couldn’t be more excited to be backing them,” he added.
Cambiotics’ approach stems from academic research from the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Cambridge, led by Professor Kiran Patil, who co-founded the company alongside researcher Dr. Anna Lindell and Peter Holme Jensen.
The idea, Cambiotics says, is that certain gut bacteria can naturally absorb PFAS and help the body excrete them. The research, published in Nature Microbiology, found that specific bacterial strains were able to bioaccumulate PFAS in the gastrointestinal tract, essentially capturing the chemicals during their passage through the gut and carrying them out of the body through digestion.
Marketed as a probiotic, the product contains two strains, 46-XY1 and 46-SL1, both described as natural, non-GMO and free of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) markers. Cambiotics has also partnered with Quest Diagnostics to provide access to a PFAS blood test panel, allowing consumers to measure PFAS levels in their blood.
Cambiotics isn’t going after the mass market out of the gate. The startup says its initial focus will be on groups with elevated exposure risk, particularly firefighters, who face heightened PFAS levels due to the chemicals’ presence in firefighting foam and fire-resistant gear.
The company is also targeting early adopters in the biohacker and health-optimization community. A waitlist is already live.
