About the product
"The microbes that colonize our bodies from birth play an important role in the development of the immune system. Cesarean births or antibiotic prophylaxis disrupt the sequence of this colonization, which can have long-term effects on health,” explains Mariangela Sociale. “I am working on a safer alternative to so-called ‘vaginal seeding’ to provide newborns with the necessary commensal bacteria, but without the risk of disease transmission. Vaginal seeding is a method in which the mother’s microbiome is transferred to the newborn to mimic natural colonization. Key limitations include the risk of transmitting undetected infections and reduced efficacy after antibiotic prophylaxis. Mariangela Sociale has set herself the goal of improving microbial-driven immune regulation care for newborns.
From doctoral studies with EXIST Women to a start-up
Mariangela Sociale earned her doctorate in molecular biomedicine at the University of Bonn and currently works as a regulatory consultant at IQVIA MedTech. In 2025, as a scholarship recipient of the EXIST Women program, she receives focused support to translate her scientific findings into an innovative product idea and take the step toward founding a company. As part of the start-up support, she can now also use the co-working labs to test and further develop her product idea.
Co-working labs at the University of Bonn
“We are very pleased that Mariangela, an excellent scientist, has started working in the co-working labs,” says Alexander von Pidoll, legal and start-up consultant at the Transfer Center enaCom. “Researchers from the natural sciences who already have a business idea can benefit greatly from the labs.” In addition to access to the lab space, founders also receive intensive support in developing their business model and networking with investors from the enaCom team of start-up coaches.