NuMe Health Becomes MicroBiome Therapeutics And Recruits New CEO

BROOMFIELD, Colo., Aug. 7, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- NuMe Health LLC today announced that the company has changed its name to MicroBiome Therapeutics and has hired Steve Orndorff, Ph.D., as chief executive officer.

MicroBiome Therapeutics (MBT) is a biotechnology company developing medical food and pharmaceutical products that aim to improve health status by interacting with the human microbiome in specific ways.  The company intends to be a leader in the development of evidence-based microbiome modulators—therapies designed to alter bacteria populations and their environment in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract to treat and prevent serious health conditions.  

"Our new name reflects the fact that our R&D efforts are focused on developing novel therapies that work by altering the GI microbiome," said John Elstrott, Ph.D., Chairman of Microbiome Therapeutics.  "The explosion of knowledge about the human microbiome makes this an exciting time to be a pioneer in the emerging field of microbiome modulators.  We are delighted to welcome our new CEO, Steve Orndorff, whose extensive biotechnology and drug development experience will be critical as we progress the company to the next stage."

MBT's microbiome modulators act on multiple factors in the GI environment, providing specialized nutrition that augments the growth of targeted desirable bacteria strains and modifying factors such as the endocrine response that affects appetite, metabolism and energy storage.  MBT's lead product, NM504, contains a proprietary combination of prebiotic and other naturally occurring ingredients formulated to help diabetic individuals achieve healthy blood glucose levels and manage their body weight.  It is currently being tested in a clinical trial for the management of insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as in a pilot clinical study as adjunctive therapy to the diabetes drug metformin. 

"It's a rare privilege to have the opportunity to take the helm of a company at the forefront of translating paradigm-shifting scientific discoveries into novel therapies," noted Dr. Orndorff.  "I look forward to leading this talented team as we advance the NM504 clinical trials and expand our pipeline of microbiome modulating therapies."

Prior to joining MBT, Dr. Orndorff was CEO of Ariel Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company with a neurological focus.  Previously he was CEO of Accera, which commercialized a prescription-only pharmacogenomic medical food for Alzheimer's patients and Univera Pharmaceuticals, a developer of novel anti-inflammatory drugs derived from natural products.  Earlier in his career, Dr. Orndorff held positions of increasing responsibility for R&D and manufacturing at PharmaLogix, ZeaGen and Monsanto's NutraSweet subsidiary.  He is Chairman of the Colorado Institute for Drug, Device & Diagnostic Development, past Chairman of the Colorado BioScience Association and past President of the Society for Industrial Microbiology.  Dr. Orndorff received a B.S. degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland.

Dr. Elstrott added, "We also want to thank our former CEO, Dean Stull, for his many contributions to developing the foundation for our future success."

MicroBiome Therapeutics is headquartered near Boulder, Colorado, and has a research presence in New Orleans, Louisiana.

About MicroBiome Therapeutics
MicroBiome Therapeutics LLC (MBT) is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing medical food and pharmaceutical products that aim to improve health status by interacting with and altering the human microbiome.  MBT is developing evidence-based microbiome modulators, which are designed to alter bacteria populations and their environment in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in specific ways to treat and prevent serious health conditions.  MBT's lead product, NM504, contains a proprietary combination of prebiotic and other naturally occurring ingredients formulated to help diabetic individuals achieve healthy blood glucose levels and manage their body weight.  It is currently being tested in a clinical trial for the management of insulin sensitivity and blood glucose levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.  For more information, visit www.mbiome.com.

Contact:
Barbara Lindheim
BLL Partners
(212) 584-2276
[email protected]

SOURCE MicroBiome Therapeutics LLC