Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Johannes B. Woehrstein, CEO and Co-Founder: We at Mbiomics are a BiotechWe are a Munich-based startup and have developed the first TechBio platform capable of designing, manufacturing, and clinically applying large consortia of live biotherapeutic products (LBPs). Simply put, this means we want to create medicines that contain an entire ecosystem of more than 100 different gut bacteria. Our mission is to fundamentally transform the treatment of immune-related and neurodegenerative diseases.
Our technological lead is based on three key competencies:
- Proprietary analytics to precisely map and target multistrain ecosystems
- Co-culturing technology that enables scalable production of complex microbial consortia
- AI-powered design tools to develop LBPs with functional precision
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Johannes B. Woehrstein: True – the idea of using the microbiome for therapeutic purposes is not new. But the platform we have developed at mbiomics is radically different.Most other companies offer products that consist of only a single or a few different bacterial cultures and are therefore comparatively only of limited effectiveness. Other companies offer stool transplants, but these are very expensive and complex, and their effectiveness depends on the donor.
We are the first tech-bio startup to offer an end-to-end platform for designing and scaling complex microbiome consortia. These consortia are then both highly effective and scalable.
From research laboratory to therapy platform
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Johannes B. Woehrstein: My co-founder Heinrich Grabmayr and I are physicists and experienced biotech entrepreneurs. We have already developed several cutting-edge research technologies into commercializable solutions. At mbiomics, a technology for the precise detection of nucleic acids first evolved into a quantitative method for analyzing bacteria in stool samples and then into a platform for the development of microbiome-based therapies.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Johannes B. Woehrstein: A major challenge was integrating a highly diverse team from science, technology, and clinical development. We work with brilliant minds from basic research – Physicists, microbiologists, biochemists, and data scientists—working in many closely interconnected projects and under time pressure. This requires excellent communication and project management skills.
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Johannes B. Woehrstein: In one year, we will enter clinical trials with a pilot product in cancer therapy, demonstrating our platform. In five years, we envision mbiomics as a champion and pioneer for microbiome-based therapies with clinical projects in several diverse disease areas: in addition to immuno-oncology, also in neurodegenerative, inflammatory, and autoimmune diseases.
Hotspot of the biotech scene
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Johannes B. Woehrstein: Munich is an ideal location for us. Its proximity to excellent research, such as at LMU Munich, TUM Munich, and the Helmholtz Center, its dense life sciences community, and access to talent and funding programs create an excellent ecosystem for biotech startups. What we would still like to see, however, are more specialized investors in deep tech and life sciences who have the staying power this industry requires.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
Johannes B. Woehrstein: Developing and commercializing a completely novel therapeutic modality doesn't happen overnight. A company that succeeds in developing safe and effective therapies for a wide range of diseases using a proprietary platform represents a paradigm shift in pharmaceutical development. To capitalize on this commercial opportunity, it is essential to simultaneously lay a solid foundation and work at maximum speed.
