Using synthetic biology to engineer microbes for human health.
Delivering on the health promises of probiotics
Our mission is to create science-backed, broadly accessible health solutions by engineering precision probiotics.
Antibiotics and the microbiome
Our bodies are hosts to trillions of microbes, known as the microbiome, that have co-evolved with us and help to ensure the proper function of our digestive, metabolic, and immune systems.
Every time a person takes an antibiotic, it disrupts resident bacteria and promotes the growth of harmful, antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
In 2022, American healthcare professionals wrote over 236 million antibiotic prescriptions — equivalent to more than 700 prescriptions per 1000 people.
Antibiotics are essential drugs, but how can we improve the standard of care to benefit both patients and public health?
FLR-101 is an engineered probiotic for use alongside antibiotics. It is being developed as a medical food for the dietary management of antibiotic perturbations of the gut microbiome.
The underlying food-grade yeast strain is well characterized and already produced commercially in a cost-efficient and scalable way.
About FLR-101
Meet the Team
-
![Andrés Cubillos-Ruiz]()
Andrés Cubillos-Ruiz
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Andres is a co-founder of Florey Biosciences. He is a microbiologist, synthetic biologist, and entrepreneur. As a technology translation lead at the Wyss Institute of Harvard, Andrés created the microbial technologies and business strategy behind Florey. He received his PhD in Microbiology from MIT as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute International Fellow and conducted postdoctoral studies at the Institute for Medical Science and Engineering at MIT.
-
![Raphael Gayet]()
Raphäel Gayet
CHIEF SCIENTIFIC OFFICER
Raphaël is a co-founder of Florey Biosciences. His broad experience in biological engineering ranges from biomaterials (Institut Pasteur) to protein engineering (Univ. of Oxford) and nucleic acid controllers (MIT). While at the Wyss Institute of Harvard, he led projects aiming to reinforce and diversify the nascent Florey platform; today, as a scientific entrepreneur, Raphaël guides the technology development efforts of Florey Biosciences.
-
![Jim Collins]()
Jim Collins
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR
Jim is a co-founder of Florey Biosciences. He is the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT and a Core Founding Faculty member of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, among other appointments. A pioneer of synthetic biology, Jim authored over 250 peer-reviewed articles, his patented technologies have been licensed by over 25 biotech and pharma companies, and he has co-founded numerous startups.
-
![Peter Barton Hutt]()
Peter Barton Hutt
BOARD MEMBER
Peter is a member of the Board of Directors and strategic advisor. Widely regarded as one of the architects of modern food and drug regulation, Hutt is a former chief counsel of the FDA, where he created the regulatory framework for medical foods, among many other formative regulatory paradigms. He currently serves as Senior Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, where he has practiced food and drug law for over 60 years.
-
![Mark Burnham Smith]()
Mark Smith
BOARD MEMBER
Mark serves on the Board of Directors on behalf of the Seerave Foundation, and as a hands-on strategic advisor, working closely with the executive team on strategy and operations. Mark is a recognized leader in the microbiome, with over 50 peer-reviewed publications in the field. Mark was CEO and co-founder of Finch Therapeutics, a publicly-traded biotechnology company, and co-founder and president of OpenBiome, a nonprofit stool bank and microbiome research institute. He currently serves as Venture Lead for the Seerave Foundation.
-
![Bryan Gillis]()
Bryan Gillis
CONSULTING CTO
Bryan brings more than 20 years of experience across operations management, supply chain, global program leadership, strategic product and portfolio life cycle management, and global product quality management in the biotechnology industry. He has held manufacturing and company leadership roles at Alexion, Sanofi (Genzyme), Lonza, Amgen, Rubius Therapeutics, and Finch Therapeutics, and serves as consulting Chief Technology Officer of Florey.
-
![Xiao Tan]()
Xiao Tan
CLINICAL ADVISOR
Xiao is a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a Clinical Fellow of the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, where his research focuses on using synthetic biology and microbial engineering to develop new technologies to diagnose and treat GI illnesses. He earned his PhD at the University of Cambridge and his MD at Stanford University. Xiao advises Florey on clinical strategy and end user experience.
-
![Gerardo Toledo]()
Gerardo Toledo
STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Gerardo is co-founder and CEO of Solarea Bio, a biotech company harnessing beneficial microbes living in fresh fruits and vegetables to develop health solutions for inflammatory problems such as postmenopausal bone loss and rheumatoid arthritis. He is a microbial ecologist turned entrepreneur, and for the last 24 years has been leading high output teams during the early stages of Diversa Corp. (now BASF), Synthetic Genomics, Indigo Ag, and Solarea Bio. He advises Florey on strategic areas related to the development and commercialization of probiotic medical products.
Updates
The story behind “Florey”
Many are familiar with the story of Sir Alexander Fleming discovering penicillin when he observed accidental mold contamination on a Petri dish. There is a long journey before a scientific discovery benefits patients.
The name of our company honors Sir Howard Florey, who pioneered the development and scaled the use of penicillin as a life-saving medicine against the backdrop of World War II.
His work allowed the manufacture of millions of doses of penicillin, saving countless lives. This success shows how a simple microbe can change the standard of care for millions of patients.
