Malta: Microbiome insights to boost healthy ageing

Dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases are among the leading causes of disability and dependency worldwide. Recent research has linked these conditions to gut microbiome imbalances, ushering in a new era of predictive health innovation. At the forefront of this field is Maltese company, The BioArte, which is committed to finding real-world solutions for ageing populations using bioinformatics.

The BioArte launched the Eureka project DPHAGE in partnership with United Kingdom-based TopMD to create an advanced diagnostic platform for dementia and irritable bowel syndrome. The platform uses full-length 16S rRNA microbiome sequencing to identify biomarkers associated with these diseases. With this insight, healthcare providers can deliver treatment plans tailored to individual patients.

DPHAGE showcases how international collaboration accelerates innovation. With Eureka’s support, we combined clinical expertise and advanced sequencing to deliver a practical diagnostic solution for healthy ageing. This project highlights Malta’s growing biotech ecosystem and the power of partnerships to tackle complex health challenges.

Manuele Biazzo – Study Director, The BioArte

After achieving this milestone, the next project phase focused on validating the platform and its sequencing workflows in clinical testing. The project team recruited over 160 participants, including patients with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and dementia with Lewy bodies, as well as healthy controls, building a robust microbiome database. The nanopore sequencing setup earned the nickname, “The Grid,” after the GridION sequencing device, because it became the project’s nerve centre. Running almost nonstop, it processed more than 320 samples and generated terabytes of data, transforming a small Maltese lab into a high-tech hub for dementia biomarker discovery.

The results demonstrated the platform can validate microbiome and gene expression biomarkers with an accuracy rate exceeding 99%. Today, The BioArte is commercialising the platform as MiTRA™, a microbiome test report automator.

Eureka and Malta Enterprise facilitated international collaboration and networking opportunities, supported research costs and helped transform a research concept into an innovation with societal impact. In uniting cutting-edge sequencing expertise from Malta with precision medicine know-how from the United Kingdom, DPHAGE has accelerated the translation of advanced microbiome science into practical, scalable diagnostics. In addition, validating MiTRA™ on an international stage has propelled Malta to the forefront of biotech innovation whilst strengthening Europe’s precision medicine ecosystem; both project partners now stand as leaders in microbiome-based diagnostics.

MiTRA™ is currently being piloted in pharmacies, clinics and healthcare providers across Europe, driving its commercial adoption and creating new jobs. DPHAGE’s findings also highlight the connection between everyday health choices, like probiotic use, and brain health. Its easy-to-use test reports empower individuals and healthcare professionals to make informed, preventive and personalised health decisions based on quick and accurate diagnoses, ushering in new healthy ageing solutions.