Engineered Probiotics

Most probiotics don't work. We're changing that.

30 billion doses of NSAIDs are taken in the U.S. every year, compromising gut health for tens of millions. Our engineered probiotic is being developed as a medical food for the targeted dietary management of NSAID-induced gastrointestinal enteropathy.

Discover Our Approach
CTX-101 Concordance's Engineered Probiotics
The Challenge

NSAIDs and gastrointestinal enteropathy

Our gastrointestinal tract is lined by a complex barrier that helps maintain overall gut function. This barrier relies on healthy epithelial cells, mucus production, and a balanced gut microbiome.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most widely used medications worldwide. While effective for pain and inflammation, they can influence gut barrier function by affecting prostaglandin synthesis, mucosal defenses, intestinal permeability, and the gut microbiome.

NSAIDs are essential medicines, but their widespread use highlights an important question: how can we support gut health while patients continue NSAID therapy?
Gastrointestinal health

79M+

NSAID prescriptions annually in the U.S.

25%

of NSAID users get gastrointestinal enteropathy

Our Mission

Engineering probiotics for the dietary management of medical conditions

First-generation probiotics were derived from food, supporting general gut health. The bioinformatics revolution gave rise to second-generation probiotics — strains linked to health benefits. However, their effects were largely associative, with limited testing in humans and unclear impact on specific diseases.

Today, Concordance is developing next-generation probiotics designed to provide targeted nutritional management for individuals with distinctive nutritional needs.
Microbiome research
Probiotic product development
Our Product

About CTX-101

CTX-101 is an engineered probiotic formulated for the dietary management of NSAID-associated enteropathy, intended for use under medical supervision.

Food-grade probiotic with a history of safe use in humans
Mechanism-driven — formulated to support gut integrity through targeted nutritional management
Our People

Meet the team

Leadership
Justin Hayes

Justin Hayes, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

Justin is a co-founder and CEO of Concordance. He is a metabolic engineer and entrepreneur. During his time at Northeastern University, Justin developed the core technology and business strategy for Concordance. He received his Ph.D. in chemical engineering and founded and led the company since 2024.

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Andrew Zorn

Andrew Zorn

Head of Commercial

Andrew is a co-founder of Concordance. He has over a decade of business development experience in pharma at Abbvie, Perkin Elmer, and Inotiv. He is a second-time biotech founder (Grik Therapeutics). He leads Concordance's commercial efforts to bring our probiotics to market.

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Scientific & Commercial Advisors
Mark Pimentel

Mark Pimentel, M.D.

Clinical Advisor

Dr. Pimentel is Executive Director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai, where he leads pioneering human clinical research on how gut microbes and their metabolites drive disease. His work established rifaximin as the first microbiome-targeted therapy for IBS, produced the first blood test for IBS based on its post-infectious origins, and identified the methanogen Methanobrevibacter smithii as a cause of constipation — discoveries that underpin modern microbiome medicine. He advises Concordance on clinical strategy.

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Gerardo Toledo

Gerardo Toledo, Ph.D.

Commercial Advisor

Gerardo is the co-founder and former CEO of Solarea Bio, where he led the development and launch of a commercial medical food probiotic for postmenopausal bone loss. He has been a microbial ecologist for 25 years, leading teams at Diversa Corporation, Synthetic Genomics, Indigo Ag., and Solarea Bio. He advises Concordance on commercial and regulatory strategy.

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Benjamin Woolston

Benjamin Woolston, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Woolston is a co-founder of Concordance and an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University. He is an expert in synthetic biology and metabolic engineering with a focus on the gut microbiome, and has published over 50 scientific papers. He advises the company on gut-targeted microbial design and pathway optimization of engineered probiotics.

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Ryan Koppes

Ryan Koppes, Ph.D.

Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. Koppes is a co-founder of Concordance and an Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering at Northeastern University, focusing on human organ chip and in vivo models. He has authored dozens of publications in human organ modeling and bioengineering. He advises on translational strategy, preclinical validation, and use of human-relevant models.

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Calvin Johnson

Calvin Johnson

Scientific Advisor

Calvin is a co-founder of Concordance. He has worked at Pyxis Oncology, KSQ Therapeutics, and Jounce Therapeutics on pre-clinical drug development bringing candidates from discovery through IND. He advises Concordance on pre-clinical development and CRO management.

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Latest News

Updates

Concordance wins SVB-Babson Pitch Competition
2025

Concordance Wins Silicon Valley Bank-Babson Pitch Competition

Concordance was recognized among top innovators at the prestigious SVB-Babson pitch competition.

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Concordance moves into The Engine
2025

Concordance Moves into The Engine

Concordance joins The Engine, MIT's tough tech venture accelerator, to advance its probiotic platform.

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Justin Hayes presents at Microbiome Times Summit
2025

CEO Justin Hayes Presents at Microbiome Times Summit in Brussels

Justin presented Concordance's vision for third-generation probiotics at the international summit.

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Get In Touch

Let's start a conversation

Interested in learning more about Concordance? We'd love to hear from you.