'The products we’re developing here are used internationally': Cork company at cutting edge
Alison Winger, whose work with Novozymes OneHealth has put her on the cutting edge of the field of STEM.
Based in Cork, PrecisionBiotics Group creates bacteria for human gut health providing supplements that are clinically studied and backed by science.
Speaking to , Alison explained:
“I head up Product Development for Novozymes OneHealth, which is the human health division of Novozymes.
“We work with our innovation and clinical teams, as well as commercial teams and customers to bring our one-in-a-trillion solutions from concept through to launch.
“These amazing active ingredients then come to me and my team, who bring the concept into the lab and create the final product,” she added.
Alison currently has four members on her Cork team, and will be adding two more in the near future, having already made two new hires.
“I also have a team in Denmark, and in the US,” she said.
“We work very closely with the commercial world, where we create our own branded products.
“Under the brand PrecisionBiotics, which is very well known in Ireland, there’s Aflorex, Zenflore, Alflorex Immune and Dual Action.
“All of these supplements are developed in Cork.
“We also have a number of brands all over the world,” Alison added.
“We work with other customers, who approach us about using our probiotic strains under their brand name.
“In fact, my team and I sit with new customers every week creating these products.
“We work with them every step of the way, from trial stage to commercial launch.”
Alison and her team have found Cork to be a fantastic place to do business.
“Ireland is small, and within the scientific industry, we all know each other,” she explained.
“Everyone is open, helpful and supportive.
“We interact with a number of businesses in Cork,” Alison added.
“GPs regularly recommend the PrecisionBiotics products as they’re clinically shown to work.
“What we do is essentially Irish, and felt here in Ireland. However, our reach goes away behind here too.
“The products we’re developing here in Cork are used internationally which is hugely exciting for us.” Alison revealed that it was always a dream of hers to work with Novozymes.
“When I first moved to Ireland, and before I took up this role, I had some interaction with the company and met some really great people there,” she said.
“I always knew that it was where I wanted to end up.
“While I’m in the field of human health, Novozymes as a whole does so much more,” she added.
“The company works in areas like biofuels, household care, pet care and in creating alternative proteins for plant-based foods.
“The strands are so wide-ranging and, the great thing is, we all collaborate with one another across the board.
“It’s such a diverse company and very science-centric,” Alison explained further.
“Everything we produce in Novozymes OneHealth starts with a huge amount of screening and research.
“All of our products undergo gold standard clinical trials before they’re deemed effective.
“In the short time I’m with the company, we’ve more than doubled in size.
“We have acquired a couple of other companies in the last couple of years and our amazing Alflorex and Zenflore technologies are making a massive splash in all these new markets.
“Increasingly, customers are taking notice of who we are and our amazing technologies.
“My family and I all take PrecisionBiotics products daily! I’m very proud to work here.”
Originally from New Zealand, Alison came to Ireland in 2014.
“Seven years ago, I moved to Cork and I haven’t left, nor do I want to,” she explained.
“I bought a house here, and met and married a Cork man and we now have a wonderful young family.
“We all love Cork, it is home.
Ireland is unique when it comes to the science, engineering and med-tech industry, Alison explained further.
“The opportunities are like nowhere else.
“The lifestyle is so laid back here, and I find people very friendly. Even when the weather is not good, you just throw on a coat and get out into nature.
Looking to the future, Alison expects to see Novozymes OneHealth continue to grow over the next five years and beyond.
“The growth it’s seen so far has drastically increased our capabilities, as well allowing us to expand into other markets,” she explained.
“I see us as a global leader in the human health area, and as a company that can drive the industry in a really positive direction for science.
“When it comes to creating products that are founded on good clinical evidence, Novozymes is a role model,” she added.
“The technology we use is extraordinary and developing all the time.
“To put it in context; there are over a trillion microbes in your gut but one microbe can make a difference and that’s what we do in Novozymes OneHealth — find that one-in-a-trillion solution, and my team in Cork then make that solution in to a product we can all use and benefit from.
“I see us as a global driver for the industry.”
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