Novonesis and Novo Nordisk Partner to Explore Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – September 8, 2025. Novonesis and Novo nordisk have partnered for research to understand how the gut microbiome impacts metabolic health. The gut microbiome is the community of microorganisms – like bacteria, fungi, and viruses – that live in the human gut. Scientists have learned a lot about the microbiome and how it affects our health in recent years1.
Novonesis and Novo Nordisk will work together to find ways to keep metabolic health strong and improve well-being through the gut microbiome. They will develop and test synbiotic food supplements – which combine probiotics and prebiotics – to see if they can improve health markers like blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Probiotics are live microorganisms, and prebiotics are the food that helps these good microorganisms thrive2.
The partnership will also investigate if the gut microbiome can definitely help track and predict a person’s metabolic and overall health. Researchers will also look for new biomarkers to measure how well gut microbiome solutions are working.
“At Novonesis, we’re dedicated to learning more about the human microbiome and its crucial role in digestion, immunity, mood, and overall well-being. This collaboration with Novo Nordisk will help us better understand how the gut microbiome supports metabolic health and identify new products to help it. We will research the microbiome to predict health outcomes and create solutions that improve health at every stage of life,” says Henrik Joerck Nielsen, Executive Vice President, Human Health Biosolutions & Strategy.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes obesity as a long-term, worsening disease.
1 Source for microbiome research growth.
2 Explanation of probiotics and prebiotics.