As both a working mother and an esteemed figure in the world of scientific research, Dr. Leen Kawas understood exactly what she was doing when she guided her team at Propel Bio Partners to invest in Persephone Biosciences.
In recent years, Dr. Kawas explained, interest in the health of the gut’s microbiome, as well as its potential for impacting multigenerational outcomes, has only grown. Understanding how pivotal this area of research is not just for herself but for people in general, Kawas knew that she had to guide her team to make the decision.
Recently, Kawas appeared on an episode of Angel Invest Boston to discuss her work in the bioscience sphere and discuss how her potential partnerships may play out in the future.
Spotlight on the Big Picture
The baby biome is an understudied aspect of the human experience and one that might offer potential answers to future questions when properly understood. Dr. Kawas stated of her collaborative work with the team at Persephone, “They are creating infant probiotics that will help and empower mothers to make decisions that are the best for them and the baby.”
Of course, the health of the biome has long been linked to other health outcomes in individuals. Kawas nods to the way that the microbiome is thought to impact Alzheimer’s, dementia, and other severe conditions. Kawas said in her interview, “As we look at the probiotics market, there are no products in the marketplace, based on science and data, that address the true gap and changes and architecture of our microbiome.”
Kaws gestured to the ideas that Persephone had been kicking around before adding, “They’ve done the baby biome and they’ve had significant interest from mothers. Again, this highlights how much interest there is in scientifically based infant probiotics.”
Kawas went on to explain how the science fuels the work done at Persephone while keeping the team grounded at the same time. Kawas added, “They’re going through a methodical development plan. Persephone starts with understanding the architecture of the cytokines that are important in having a healthy gut microbiome for infants and adults, and even patients.”
Ultimately, Kawas concluded, ” It’s science-based.”
About Dr. Leen Kawas
Dr. Leen Kawas a revered and Ph.D. recognized bioscientist as well as the Managing General Partner at Propel Bio Partners. Dr. Kawas had previously worked as the lead at Athira Pharma, where she was charged with developing a series of drug candidates that would eventually drive Athira’s IPO. Dr. Kawas has received word and recognition from many outside publications.
