Novozymes and LinusBio announced the companies are forming a collaboration to test a new, non-invasive technology in a clinical trial. The project will apply LinusBio's environmental biodynamics platform, enabling detailed temporal mapping of harmful compound exposure, to a clinical trial of probiotics sponsored by Novozymes' human health unit, Novozymes OneHealth. The clinical trial will assess exposure to heavy metals, such as lead, and a broad range of environmental pollutants, and is part of a larger clinical program from Novozymes OneHealth.

As part of the project, LinusBio will conduct a comprehensive study examining lead and other harmful chemical levels. Utilizing a single strand of hair, LinusBio's proprietary exposome and biological response sequencing platform can generate data similar to several hundred liquid biopsies and reconstruct the subjects' exposure to environmental toxicants over time. The study will be conducted in Mexico, where environmental lead exposure remains a significant public health issue1.

Lead exposure is also prevalent in many other countries where lead was previously used in gasoline, household paint, water pipes and other products2.