Argentina-based startup BioClé is tackling a key challenge in nutraceuticals with a novel delivery system designed to protect bioactives from degradation in the digestive tract and deliver them to their target cells. The tech—which also has potential in pharmaceuticals for targeted drug delivery—utilizes tiny membrane-bound particles called bacterial extracellular vesicles (bEVs), which have a natural affinity for intestinal cells and can be loaded with everything from short-chain fatty acids to peptides and enzymes. While most bacteria produce such vesicles, BioClé has genetically engineered a probiotic strain already used in food to dramatically increase their production, cofounder and CEO Juan Cassini told AgFunderNews. Unlike conventional encapsulation systems designed primarily to protect bioactives from degradation as they move through the gastrointestinal tract, BioClé’s platform can actively transport compounds into target cells, he claimed. “We are different to nanoparticles, to liposomes, or even capsules, because we are able to deliver bioactives directly into the gut cells because of an affinity between the vesicle and the gut cells. We are an active delivery system, whereas those are passive delivery systems.” While conventional encapsulation technologies generally release their cargo into the gut, leaving the bioactive to cross the intestinal barrier on its own, BioClé’s vesicles are taken up by intestinal cells, releasing their contents inside them, added Cassini. This exploits an existing biological pathway through which bacterial vesicles communicate with intestinal cells, rather than relying on passive diffusion, he explained. “With butyrate the first bioactive BioClé is working with, that came out as more than twice the efficacy of the free compound in vivo at the same dose.” Producing and loading the vesicles Founded in October 2025 by Cassini, Daniela Albanesi, PhD, and Albertina Scattolini, PhD, BioClé builds on research into bacterial vesicles conducted by Albanesi and Scattolini through Argentina’s CONICET research agency. It is developing two approaches to loading bioactives into these particles, which typically measure 200–300 nanometers in diameter. In the first, the bacteria producing the vesicles also produce the desired compound. In the second, bioactives produced elsewhere are loaded into the vesicles from outside. During the production process, the vesicles are separated from the bacterial fermentation broth through filtration and centrifugation, before being processed into liquid or dried ingredients for use in supplements, functional foods and beverages. BioClé has demonstrated at least six months of stability at ambient temperatures in freeze-dried form, and is investigating alternative processing methods, including spray drying. Starting with butyrate BioClé is initially focusing on encapsulating butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid associated with gut health. While bacteria in the large intestine produce butyrate by fermenting certain dietary fibers, many people do not consume much fiber and seek out butyrate supplements, said Cassini. However, existing products can suffer from sensory issues and poor bioavailability. A 2023 review in the journal Nutrients, for example, notes that orally administered butyrate is rapidly absorbed in the duodenum, meaning much of it never reaches the colon, where it can work its magic. BioClé claims its vesicles can address this issue by delivering butyrate directly into colonocytes—the cells lining the colon—and offer additional benefits in and of themselves. “The vesicles are not just carriers. They naturally contain other metabolites including acetate another short-chain fatty acid associated with gut health,” which means they could potentially be pitched as postbiotics in their own right, he speculated. BioClé has also successfully loaded peptides and other compounds into its vesicles and sees potential to expand into polyphenols, enzymes and RNA. The main technical constraint identified so far is the limited space inside the vesicles, rather than the chemical nature of the compounds being transported, he said. Targeted delivery Longer term, the aim is to engineer vesicle surface proteins to direct bioactives to other specific cell types, said Cassini, who has raised $500,000 in pre-seed funding from Big Idea Ventures and GridX, alongside grant funding. “Right now, we are not modifying the vesicles to go to a specific place, as they have a natural affinity with gut cells, and we’ve shown that the bioactive gets inside those cells. “In the future, we are projecting a way of modifying the vesicle to deliver the bioactive to a specific cell that we want to target. So maybe it’s not colonocytes, which are relevant for butyrate, but it will be another type of cell because we are loading a different bioactive.” He added: “We have actually been approached by some pharmaceutical companies that want to test vesicles to carry toxins to kill tumor cells in our bodies. So they would like to do targeted delivery.” Cassini also sees potential for delivering compounds associated with brain health, citing research suggesting some bacterial vesicles can cross the blood-brain barrier, “which is really interesting for compounds that are related to mental health such as phosphatidylserine.” Early evidence, but human trials still to come For now, the technology remains at an early validation stage, with promising results from in vitro studies using human cells, and mouse studies underway with results due in December. Cassini hopes to pursue human trials with commercial partners in 2027, although study protocols have yet to be developed. Such studies could also help establish whether improved delivery could enable manufacturers to reduce the quantities of expensive bioactives needed to achieve a given effect, offsetting the cost of the vesicles, he said. “We would be able to load less of the same bioactive in order to get a better or even the same result.” This would be particularly attractive for high-value compounds such as peptides, he added. The IP strategy BioClé’s IP strategy is two-pronged, said Cassini. “Nobody is using vesicles in the food industry because it’s not cost effective. That’s why we are modifying the bacteria to improve the yield. “And this is what we are protecting with our IP: the way we are modifying the bacteria to produce this high yield of vesicles, and how we are loading those vesicles with the bioactives.” Licensing model and commercial partnerships BioClé is initially targeting the US market, where it is working with regulatory consultants to assess the GRAS (food) or New Dietary Ingredient (supplements) pathways. Pet nutrition is another area of interest. The EU, where novel food and potentially GMO-related considerations could complicate commercialization, is a longer-term target. The plan is to license the tech to ingredient suppliers and consumer health companies in return for upfront fees and royalties, with production ultimately handled by licensees or third-party manufacturing partners. While it’s early days, BioClé is already talking to some big names including Nestlé and Givaudan, and has signed its first material transfer agreement with an unnamed US company as part of a planned paid pilot. Further reading: Bactolife raises $35m Series B to commercialize novel category of gut health ingredients: binding proteins ZBiotics takes GM probiotics mainstream with 15m+ ‘pre-alcohol’ shots sold Verb Biotics on next gen biotics: ‘We’re function-first, and we’re not tied into any one organism or flagship strain’ The post BioClé tackles bioactives’ bioavailability challenge with novel delivery tech appeared first on AgFunderNews.
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