MiGut: high-throughput in vitro platform for modelling the human gut microbiota

Overview

MiGut is a high-throughput in vitro microbial model designed to mirror the physiochemical conditions of the human colon and accurately recapture human gut microbiota. The platform addresses a gap left by existing gastrointestinal models, which either lack the complexity and parameter control needed to reflect the colonic environment or do not offer the throughput and scalability required to test multiple conditions cost-effectively.

The platform supports a wide range of applications, including evaluating how different diets modulate the microbial ecology, studying xenobiotic-microbiota interactions, and assessing the engraftment and efficacy of live biotherapeutics. By coupling bioreactor-based cultivation with molecular analyses and data visualisation, MiGut provides researchers and product developers with a practical tool for generating reproducible, mechanistic insights into microbiome behaviour.

Technical specifications

• Triple-stage reactor design: Each MiGut unit consists of three vessels with a singular flow direction, fed with an adjustable media to replicate sequential colonic conditions.
• Customisable environmental parameters: pH, anaerobicity, temperature, and nutritional source can be individually tailored in each vessel to suit specific experimental requirements.
• Miniaturised and scalable format: The compact design enables high-throughput testing of up to 12 different conditions simultaneously, supporting cost-effective experimental design with biological replicates.
• Spatial and temporal sampling: The reactor configuration allows collection of samples at multiple points and over extended periods, making it well suited to studying microbial dynamics and metabolism over timescales exceeding 16 weeks.
• Integrated molecular readouts: Compatible with real-time PCR, sequencing, and metabolomic analyses to characterise microbial populations and their metabolic outputs.
• Demonstrated applications: Validated through real-world demonstrations using biotherapeutics, food additives, and pharmaceuticals, including measurement of microbial neurochemical production from different nutrient sources.

Technology readiness level

MiGut has progressed beyond proof of concept and has been validated through several real-world demonstrations spanning biotherapeutics, food additives, and pharmaceuticals. The platform is ready for applied research collaborations, with proposed next steps including initiating models with human faecal slurry, allowing a 12-day equilibration period, and then testing up to 12 conditions such as different plant-based fermentations. Planned experiments will replicate the microbiome of healthy individuals and use molecular and metabolomic analyses to investigate how specific dietary interventions modulate the microbiome and its metabolic output. The platform is well suited to sponsored research, co-development, and pilot engagements with industry partners.