The latest studies, which include evaluating bone health in breast cancer patients, the menopause transition, and the gut–skin axis, are designed to move into interventional research, an area that remains a pressure point for the microbiome category.
The collaboration builds on a relationship that began in 2013.
“What’s particularly exciting about these studies is that they move beyond associative microbiome research into interventional clinical trials in areas like bone health, menopause, and the gut–skin axis,” Colleen Cutcliffe, PhD, Pendulum Therapeutics co-founder and CEO, told NutraIngredients.
“These are complex, multifactorial conditions, and working with Mayo Clinic enables us to generate high-quality, clinically meaningful data that links specific microbial strains and pathways to measurable outcomes.”
Pendulum said the work will utilize its existing microbiome-targeted products and technical capabilities, including anaerobic manufacturing and sequencing, according to the press release.
Women’s health presents unmet need
The company’s move into women’s health shows a focus on areas where biological rationale is supported by shortcomings in current care.
“This expansion is actually a very natural evolution for us...from the beginning, our strategy has been to focus on areas where the microbiome plays a clear, mechanistic role and where there is a meaningful unmet need,” Dr. Cutcliffe said.
Menopause still is a key example, she added. While approximately half of the global population will experience menopause in later adulthood, the biological process has been historically under-researched and underfunded, she noted.
Rather than a departure from its focus on metabolic health, Pendulum has positioned the expansion as an extension of that work.
Dermatology interest grows but evidence still developing
Interest in the gut–skin axis continues to increase across the supplement sector, though the evidence base remains early in many cases.
“A lot of the current activity in the gut–skin space is still relatively early and often based on correlation or generalized probiotic approaches,” Dr. Cutcliffe said. The company is concentrating on defined pathways, including inflammation and barrier function, as it builds clinical data in these areas.
Formulation complexity and translating clinical findings
As microbiome science advances, formulation strategies are shifting toward multi-strain combinations, adding complexity on the supply side.
“The microbiome is a complex ecosystem, and the more we study it, the more we understand that microbes often work together rather than in isolation,” Dr. Cutcliffe said.
Scaling those formulations has required investment in specialized capabilities. “Many of the most important strains are extremely oxygen-sensitive and difficult to produce at scale, which is why we invested early in anaerobic manufacturing capabilities,” she said.
In addition to scaling operations, translating findings from clinical populations into broadly applicable products is still a central issue for industry stakeholders.
“Our focus is on identifying mechanisms that may be broadly relevant, even if they are first observed in a specific population,” Dr. Cutcliffe said. “We want our claims to reflect the data, be transparent about the populations studied, and avoid overextending beyond the evidence.”
The company’s earlier work in metabolic health continues to inform that approach. For example, Pendulum Glucose Control has been studied for its effect on A1C levels in people with type 2 diabetes, the press release noted.
Moving forward, the Mayo Clinic partnership remains central to Pendulum’s clinical strategy as it expands into new categories.
“Our collaboration represents an important milestone in the continued advancement of microbiome science,” Dr. Cutcliffe said.
