Research captures the potential impact of ancient bacteria such as M. aurum on the gut-brain-microbiota axis. Exposure to these beneficial microbes like M. aurum plays a crucial role in regulating pathways that impact behavior, emotional well-being, and overall health.

Individuals who struggle with stress-related disorders have been found to have poor immunoregulation markers. Soil-derived bacterium can lower pro-inflammatory markers, increase stress resilience, and when tested on mice, enhance fear extinction.

• Immunization with Mycobacterium vaccae induces an anti-inflammatory milieu in the CNS: attenuation of stress-induced microglial priming, alarmins, and anxiety-like behavior. PubMed Central
• Immunization with a heat-killed preparation of Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11659 enhances auditory-cued fear extinction in a stress-dependent manner. PubMed
• Ingestion of Mycobacterium vaccae decreases anxiety-related behavior and improves learning in mice. PubMed
• Subcutaneous Mycobacterium vaccae ameliorates the effects of early life adversity alone or in combination with chronic stress during adulthood in male and female mice. DOI

The “Old Friends” hypothesis suggests that the lack of exposure to immunoregulatory stimuli contributes to a rise in inflammatory disorders and stress-related states. Using soil-derived bacteria has shown promise in reducing pro-inflammatory markers and boosting stress resilience.

Exposure to soil-derived bacteria induces a shift towards a stronger response to stress exposure and promotes greater stress resilience. When tested on mice, soil-derived bacteria altered microbiome-gut-brain axis signaling, strengthening the communication network and resulting in improved stress resilience.

• Effects of Immunization with the Soil-Derived BacteriumMycobacterium vaccae on Stress Coping Behaviors and Cognitive Performance in a “Two Hit” Stressor Model. PubMed Central
• Rapidly Growing Mycobacterium Species: The Long and Winding Road from Tuberculosis Vaccines to Potent Stress-Resilience Agents. PubMed Central
• Identification of an immune-responsive mesolimbocortical serotonergic system: Potential role in regulation of emotional behavior. IBRO Neuroscience, May 2007 PubMed Central

Further research supports the hypothesis that immunoregulatory microorganisms such as M. aurum have the power to prevent stress-induced inflammation and are known for their anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and stress-resilience properties.

Upon exposure to soil-derived bacteria, human monocyte-derived macrophages exhibited a shift toward an anti-inflammatory state. This observation is significant, especially considering the association between chronic low-grade inflammation and a range of psychiatric disorders, including those linked to stress.

Each of the aging processes and decreased interaction with environmental microbes may both enhance neuroinflammatory reactions. Previous research suggests that inoculating aged rats with Mycobacterium vaccae (M. vaccae), a bacterium recognized for its immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties, can mitigate neuroimmune activation and cognitive decline.

• Mycobacterium vaccae NCTC 11659, a Soil-Derived Bacterium with Stress Resilience Properties, Modulates the Proinflammatory Effects of LPS in Macrophages. PubMed
• Intragastric administration of Mycobacterium vaccae inhibits severe pulmonary allergic inflammation in a mouse model. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, May 2005 PubMed
• Mycobacterium vaccae protects against glucocorticoid resistance resulting from combined physical and psychosocial trauma in mice. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, March 2023 PubMed
• Mycobacterium vaccae immunization in rats ameliorates features of age-associated microglia activation in the amygdala and hippocampus. Scientific Reports – Nature, February 2022 PubMed
• Mycobacterium vaccae immunization protects aged rats from surgery-elicited neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction. Neurobiology of Aging, November 2018. PubMed

Most published research relating to the benefits of soil-based mycobacteria is based on studies involving M. vaccae or M. obuense. We are often asked why we have chosen M. aurum as the key ingredient in immy.

The principal reason is that each of M. vaccae and M. obuense has been used in human clinical trials as a pharmaceutical agent and as such is therefore no longer permitted (by regulation) to be used as a dietary supplement ingredient. The coping effect benefit of mycobacteria was observed in a clinical trial when cancer patients being treated with M. obuense appeared to be experiencing reduced anxiety.

M. aurum Aogashima was identified as an organism of potential by Dr. Akle and colleagues over 10 years ago. It is closely related (on the phylogenetic tree) to M. vaccae and M. obuense and has markedly similar effects to these organisms, which have been explored in a number of ‘bridging’ studies.

A critical advantage of using M. aurum as an ingredient in a dietary supplement and other foods is also of course cost. To have developed M. aurum as a pharmaceutical agent like M. obuense would have been very costly, and that would need to be reflected in a highly expensive consumer price – a long way from our goal of making immy available to all for around $1 per day.

We have a library of soil samples from around the world collected over many years by our research team which have been analyzed extensively. Some of the mycobacteria we have discovered have never previously been categorized and we are very excited about the possible immunomodulatory benefits of them.Our preference is to avoid animal testing and to continue to use human observational studies and human cellular models to test their effectiveness. But developing new products based on the new agents to match and complement immy will take many years.

Most published research relating to the benefits of soil-based mycobacteria is based on studies involving M. vaccae or M. obuense. We are often asked why we have chosen M. aurum as the key ingredient in immy.

In our process, M. aurum undergoes heat treatment post-cultivation, enhancing safety measures to prevent any possibility of human infection, even though it is in any case known to be a non-pathogenic organism. Despite the autoclaving (heat) treatment, its cellular structure remains intact, enabling the desired immune response with the same effectiveness.

immy is a mycolicibacterium that has been heat-killed. Unlike many other bacteria, its robust cell wall prevents cell bursting, akin to a sturdy tractor tire compared to a fragile balloon. This toughness allows immy's structure to remain intact as an antigenic scaffold, preserving its beneficial effects. We opt to kill it to ensure complete safety, eliminating any risk of contamination or safety concerns.