Nestle completes Seres Health investment

Nestle has completed an investment in Seres Health, a leading microbiome therapeutics company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The 65.6 million Swiss franc (42.34 million pounds) investment is being used to help Seres Health develop a novel class of biological drugs, designed to treat diseases by restoring the function of the microbiome.

Consisting of around 100 trillion microorganisms within the body, the microbiome performs a variety of functions, including supporting the immune system. This deal comes as part of Nestle's wider strategy of supporting innovative health research.

The company said: "This investment is aligned with our ambition to advance the role of novel therapeutics in health care by leveraging external investment opportunities."

It comes after Nestle recently announced a strategic innovation partnership with Flagship Ventures, a leading venture capital and venture creation firm focused on innovations in healthcare and sustainability that is also based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Additionally, the firm made an investment of 22 million Swiss francs in a six-year epigenetics research partnership last month with an international alliance of scientists at institutions in Southampton, Auckland and Singapore.