Johan brings more than 25 years of experience across microbiome science and product development, biotechnology, probiotics and human health, spanning the full path from strain discovery and clinical evidence generation through manufacturing and CMC, regulatory approval and commercialisation. He has done so in different industry sectors bringing live microbes to market: from fermented foods to probiotics as functional ingredients to microbes as drugs. His career spans established global businesses and venturebacked biotechnology companies across Europe and the United States.

Johan built an extensive corporate career at Chr. Hansen (now Novonesis), where he was Vice President Microbiome & Human Health Innovation leading the probiotic innovation and Live Biotherapeutic Product manufacturing teams, combining scientific strategy with commercial development, partnerships and P&L responsibility. Earlier in his career he held senior roles at Danone Research and NIZO Food Research.

Alongside this corporate track record, he has been closely involved in founding and building biotechnology companies in the microbiome space, as co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Freya Biosciences and as Chief Scientific Officer of US-based Kaleido Biosciences. The common thread throughout his career is the translation of rigorous microbiome science into commercial applications, in close collaboration with partners in Europe and the United States.

Leading Caelus into its next phase

Johan joins Caelus at an important point in the company’s development. Caelus has built a clinically validated microbiome platform for cardio-metabolic health, developing defined next-generation microbial strains. Its lead asset, Anaerobutyricum soehngenii CH106 (A. soehngenii), is supported by robust human clinical evidence, is available in high-potency and long shelf-life formats, and has regulatory pathways now open in the EU and the United States.

A. soehngenii recently became the first live commensal gut bacterium of its kind to receive a positive safety opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) under the EU Novel Food Regulation. In the United States, Caelus’s GRAS notification resulted in FDA-notified GRAS status (GRN 1065).

With these milestones in place, Caelus is increasingly focused on translating its scientific and clinical foundation into commercial collaborations. The company operates a partner-led business model, combining its scientific, regulatory, intellectual property and manufacturing expertise with the product-development, market-access and commercial capabilities of its partners. A first important step in this direction is the collaboration with Winclove Probiotics on the commercialisation pathway for A. soehngenii in Europe.

“Cardiometabolic health is one of the most exciting areas in human health today. Expectations are changing fast: people no longer want to wait for disease to be treated, they want an active role in their own health journey, and the science is finally catching up with that ambition. Caelus has built a scientific and clinical foundation of real rigour, second to none in the probiotic ingredient space. Its pipeline has delivered A. soehngenii ready for commercialisation, with additional assets in development. The company has recently achieved significant regulatory milestones in both Europe and the United States. The next phase is about working with the right partners across international markets to bring A. soehngenii to consumers at scale.”

Johan van Hylckama Vlieg, Chief Executive Officer, Caelus

About Caelus

Caelus develops microbiome-based ingredients that originate from the human gut. Its work combines strain discovery, clinical research, regulatory development, intellectual property and industrial-scale production to turn next-generation beneficial microbes into safe, scientifically substantiated and partner-ready products. For more information please visit: www.caeluslifesciences.com