St. John’s-based gene sequencing firm Nucliq Biologics is launching a new product that measures how a woman’s gut microbiome influences her hormonal health.

The new product, launching May 14 at innovation hub Genesis, is called GutCheckVivo. It follows the success of Nucliq’s first product GutCheck, which assesses an individual’s gut microbiome and advises clients on how to address any issues, such as by improving diet and sleep and reducing anxiety.

The gut microbiome comprises the microbes such as bacteria, viruses and fungi present in a user’s intestines. GutCheck asseses microbiome by testing stool samples. It is based on medicine’s growing awareness of how important gut health is to overall physical and mental health, particularly for diseases such as ulcerative colitis.

“You are what you eat, and what your microbes eat,” Co-Founder Purvikalyan Pallegar, a molecular biologist, told Entrevestor.

“Feed your microbes, feed your bacteria,” said the scientist who co-founded NuCliq with his wife, cancer biochemist Nikitha Kendyala in 2019.

Until recently, the ability to assess an individual’s gut health was limited to medical tests for certain pathogens but the development of genetic sequencing is allowing entrepreneurs to offer personalized testing and health advice. Pallegar said the new test, GutCheckVivo, will be the first of its kind in North America.

As well as focusing on product development, the company is also participating in global research projects, including a new collaboration with Swasa Hospital in India, which will focus on the gut microbiome’s role in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

“At Nucliq, we strongly believe the gut-brain axis holds powerful clues and it's time we decode them using cutting-edge microbiome science,” the company stated on LinkedIn.

Pallegar said his company has benefitted from  the innovation ecosystem in St. John’s. In 2020 Nucliq was a winner of Memorial University’s Mel Woodward Cup pitch competition, claiming the $25,000 first prize. The company also received a grant of $81,562 from the province to help develop GutCheck.

To date, Nucliq has been financed with angel funding but the company is now looking at raising $1.5 million to assist with scaling GutCheck and new product development.

The Nucliq staff currently numbers 13, with 80 percent of staff female. Eleven staff work from St. John’s and two are based in India, where both co-founders were born and raised.

Pallegar said the two co-founders came to Canada to study and are now also committed entrepreneurs.

“The future of medicine is in the microbiome,” said Pallegar.