Lydia Mapstone

Lydia Mapstone is CEO and Co-founder of BoobyBiome, a biotech company based in London. Lydia and her co-founders met whilst conducting their PhDs in life sciences and founded BoobyBiome after identifying breast milk as a key contributor to developing the infant microbiome. Now all full time at the company, the team are working hard to analyse the bacteria which naturally arise in breast milk and help develop the infant gut.

“The microbiome is a collection of microorganisms that reside on and in us and is crucial in regulating digestive, immune and metabolic functions,” she explains. “Babies without access to breast milk are vulnerable to microbiome-related diseases such as allergies, asthma and diabetes.”

Lydia and her team are developing a microbiome supplement derived from breast milk donated by healthy mothers, to improve the health of babies and empower parents who are unable to breastfeed. She is hopeful that the IUK Women Award will allow her to broaden her network, improve her leadership skills, and propel BoobyBiome forward.

Working from the prestigious Institute of Child Health (ICH), the research arm of Great Ormond Street Hospital, Lydia’s all-women team is united by their desire to innovate in the FemTech sector and work towards increasing the (very small) pool of women patent owners. All while making their own positive impact in the field of healthcare and the environment.