Quorum Innovations has announced growing scientific, medical, and public-policy momentum behind a microbiome discovery designed to help defend the human body against microplastics and nanoplastics. The biotechnology was founded by physician-scientists Nicholas T. Monsul, MD, and Eva Ann Berkes, MD.
Quorum Innovations
Quorum Innovations uncover biological defence against microplastics
Scientists are increasingly describing modern life as the “Plasticene Era.” There are also growing concerns regarding plastics now being found in blood, placentas, lungs, and brain tissue. Under the microscope, Quorum Innovations is observing a naturally inspired protective biofilm that’s intercepting plastics before they enter human tissue.
During laboratory testing, the biofilm could bind and expel up to 98% of microplastics from the digestive system. This revelation offers a new biological strategy for addressing everyday plastic exposure, relying on the body’s natural barrier defences rather than drugs or chemicals.
The science behind the discovery was originally developed through two research awards from the U.S. Department of Defence’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Drs. Monsul and Berkes set off to develop microbial protective barriers to shield warfighters and first responders from chemical and biological threats. Said barrier now shows promise as a “civilian application for plastic exposure.”
“Plastics are no longer just an environmental problem—they're a human one,” said Berkes. “They're in our food, our air, and increasingly, our bodies. This biofilm represents a biologically inspired shield built from mechanisms nature already gave us.”
