BY Health & Biotech Nadine McGrath

Gut health blooms as a focus area in modern medicine. Pic: Getty Images

• Gut health has become a growing area of medicine as research shows links to range of conditions 
• Microba has become a leader in microbiome testing with pathology giant Sonic Healthcare a major investor
• Health Food Symmetry has developed the world’s first sugarcane-derived, whole-plant prebiotic called PhytoBiome

There’s an old saying, ‘listen to your gut’, used to describe intuition when making decisions, but in healthcare that advice is taking on a somewhat more literal meaning.

The gut microbiome is made up of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other microorganisms residing in the digestive tract.

As research continues to reveal connections between the gut microbiome and conditions ranging from digestive disorders and mental health to cardiovascular disease, cancer and autoimmune issues, Morgans healthcare analyst Iain Wilkie told Stockhead that increasingly, gut health is a focal point in medicine.

He said a growing number of companies were developing diagnostics, therapeutics and nutrition products designed to measure, improve and monetise the microbiome, positioning gut health as one of healthcare’s most compelling emerging themes.

“Gut health and its understanding continues to gradually move from the benchtop into the clinic,” Wilkie said.

“The microbiome is slowly being recognised as a key influencer of immunity, metabolism, and even mental health and we view gut health is shaping up as one of the more compelling themes in modern medicine.”

“Companies like Microba are really well placed to catch onto these emerging insights by turning this science into actionable diagnostics.”

Microba leader in microbiome testing

Microba Life Sciences (ASX:MAP) has become a leader in microbiome testing and is first focused on diagnosing unresolved lower gastrointestinal disorders.

Listing on the ASX in 2022, Microba was co-founded by Professor Philip Hugenholtz and Professor Gene Tyson in 2017, based on their proprietary technology out of the University of Queensland to analyse the gut microbiome.

Wilkie said its advanced testing helps identify gut dysbiosis – an imbalance in the microbial community – providing clinicians with insights to support targeted interventions and improve digestive health.

Microba’s MetaPanel test provides detailed and accurate detection of gastrointestinal pathogens, including those carrying genes that enable them to cause disease or resist antibiotics, while also offering insights into the overall health and balance of the gut microbiome.

Microba’s Microbiome Explorer range uses advanced metagenomic analysis to map thousands of gut microbial species, providing actionable insights to guide personalised digestive health strategies.

“There is a good potential for repeated use by a single patient and it’s not just a done once test and is in the whole field of personalised medicine,” Wilkie said.

“Testing can also be repeated so if there is a problem it can be actioned and re-tested and made sure it has been resolved and the microbiome is in balance.

In an investor presentation CEO Luke Reid said Microba is to gut health what Cochlear (ASX:COH) is to hearing and what ProMedicus (ASX:PME) has become to imaging – category-defining and clinically trusted.

“It is building the platform for personalised, microbiome-based healthcare.” Reid said.

Microba inked a partnership deal in 2022 with Sonic Healthcare (ASX:SHL), which acquired around ~20% in the company with a $17.8 million investment.

The pathology giant has since further invested in Microba, increasing its stake to ~21.68% this year through an $8.3m investment as part of a $14.5m capital raise.

Sonic is distributing MetaPanel across Australia and is planning to expand the service to international markets, including the UK, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, New Zealand and the US.

Health Food Symmetry develops sugar-cane derived prebiotic

Health Food Symmetry (HFS) has developed PhytoBiome – the world’s first sugarcane-derived, whole-plant prebiotic.

PhytoBiome is a proprietary prebiotic phytonutrient fibre extracted from sugarcane using a specialised process that preserves the plant’s natural cell wall structure and bioactive compounds.

This method produces a complete cellular fibre profile that closely mirrors whole-plant dietary sources, such as vegetables.

PhytoBiome ferments gradually throughout the gut, supporting balanced microbial activity and sustained production of short-chain fatty acids, which are key contributors to gut and metabolic health.

HFS has completed a series of independent studies and clinical trials with leading Australian universities, demonstrating the benefits of PhytoBiome in supporting gut, digestive and metabolic health.

The company recently undertook a $2 million funding round ahead of a planned listing.

Veteran global executive and Former Mars regional director and global brand director Hamish Thompson has joined HFS as marketing and sales director.

“It’s great to have Hamish join the team realising the potential of our prebiotic,” founder and CEO Gordon Edward said.

“We’ve always been able to manufacture and research our product and show its efficacy but now we’ve got the last part of the HFS jigsaw puzzle for global success with Hamish joining the company to spearhead marketing and sales.”

Biome achieves ‘significant business growth’

Biome Australia (ASX:BIO) has developed two complementary therapeutic ranges to address different aspects of microbiome health with “significant business growth” as knowledge rises about the importance of gut health.

Activated Probiotics, is the company’s flagship range of live biotherapeutics, targeting specific health conditions through clinically-validated probiotic strains.

Activated Therapeutics expands treatment beyond traditional probiotics, incorporating prebiotics, postbiotics, and complementary bioactive compounds.

In FY25 Biome reported its first full year of net profit since the company’s founding in 2018, with growth across all key metrics.

Biome recently announced it had launched a local ethics approval application for the first human clinical trial of its proprietary probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum BMB18.

The human clinical trial will investigate the efficacy of BMB18 in patients experiencing digestive symptoms and/or occasional sleep or mood disturbances, and examine its impact on digestive function, mood, sleep and quality of life.

The randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial will recruit 240 participants, across two active dosage levels and is expected to start in February 2026, in partnership with La Trobe University.

Founder and managing director Blair Vega Norfolk said Biome was a first-mover in targeted probiotics and had emerged as the number two probiotic brand in Australia’s community pharmacy market by total revenue.

The company has also been expanding in key markets internationally, including Canada, New Zealand, the UK and Europe.

“Our ongoing research and innovation are key drivers to our success within the industry and our probiotic range has very little or close to no competitors in the market,” he said.

“We’ve achieved significant business growth over the past three years, from $2m in revenue in FY21 to $18.4m in FY25.

“The focus is now to take Biome from a microcap stock in Australia to one of the world’s leading complementary medicine brands.”

Gut microbiome is a key focus for EZZ

EZZ Life Science (ASX:EZZ) has also identified the gut microbiome and digestive health as one of its core research and product areas, targeting bacterial imbalances such as Helicobacter pylori, a common bacterium linked to stomach ulcers and increased cancer risk.

EZZ formulates, produces, markets and distributes a wide range of health supplements investing in R&D with specialised third-party partners to create products that can command strong market positions.

The company has developed and launched biotic supplements, including formulations designed to support healthy digestion, restore beneficial gut flora and relieve symptoms of conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.

At Stockhead, we tell it like it is. While Health Food Symmetry and EZZ Life Science are Stockhead advertisers, the companies did not sponsor this article.