A Year-End Letter from our Founder Martha
Martha Carlin
| Dec 09, 2024 |
3 minute read
Dear BiotiQuest® Community,
As 2024 draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on a year filled with both deep challenges and moments of hope and growth. This year, as many of you know, brought the heartbreaking loss of my husband John. His passing has left a profound void, but his spirit remains a guiding force in our work and in our lives. John’s sense of humor and willingness to contribute to the science that has helped us understand so much about the microbiome beyond Parkinson’s will continue to inspire us.
This year was also one of resilience, learning, and forward momentum. Despite obstacles—Amazon blocking product sales twice, Facebook and Google restricting our ads, and the ever-growing concerns around health freedom—we have been inspired by you, our loyal customers. Your continued support, your stories of transformation, and your willingness to share the benefits of our products with others fuel our purpose. You remind us that the work we do has real impact, and for that, we are deeply grateful.
Progress and Growth in 2024
On the research front, we’ve made significant strides. One of the highlights has been the ongoing progress from our clinical trial on Sugar Shift® and its effects on metabolic health. The results have been exciting, and we’re eagerly anticipating the publication of findings that demonstrate meaningful improvement in the gut microbiome—expected early next year. These findings build on our previously published clinical results in the diabetes cohort and strengthen the scientific foundation behind our formulations.
In addition, we’re continuing to test and validate the glyphosate remediation capabilities of both Sugar Shift® and our flagship strain, Lactobacillus plantarum LP-036. These efforts are essential in supporting not only the clinical efficacy of our products but also the broader mission of restoring balance to the body and the environment.
Through it all, we remain committed to investing in research as profits permit, because we believe in the importance of transparency, evidence, and education to support your health journey.
Looking Ahead to 2025
As we turn toward the future, we are thrilled to share some exciting developments on the horizon. We’re currently working on several new product offerings to complement your wellness journey, including:
- A second yogurt starter culture,
- An "anti-aging" probiotic formula designed to support cellular health, and
- Perfect Peace, our mood-support probiotic.
On a broader scale, my continued research into Parkinson’s disease is taking an exciting new direction. In collaboration with the Resolving Parkinson’s Foundation, we are organizing a transformative event in May 2025—a meeting of minds, including researchers, clinicians, and patients, to explore a provocative theme: What if everything we think we know is all wrong? This gathering will focus on new perspectives in Parkinson’s, more holistic approaches to care for better outcomes and, of course, the gut microbiome’s role in Parkinson’s and, more broadly, neurodegenerative health. It’s a deeply personal project for me, and I’m excited to share updates with you as it unfolds. In conjunction with this meeting, we are producing a documentary to gather the real Parkinson’s perspective from patients and caregivers to highlight patterns that are often missed. If you know someone with Parkinson’s who would be interested in being interviewed and filmed for the documentary please have them reach out to me directly at martha@marthasquest.com.
A Community Built on Gratitude
None of this would be possible without you—our community. Your participation in our educational initiatives like the monthly book club and Sugar Shift Challenge calls and sharing our podcast interviews has been inspiring. Your willingness to grow alongside us, ask thoughtful questions, and share your stories of healing continues to shape BiotiQuest into more than a company—it’s a movement.
Even in the face of challenges, 2024 has been a year of meaningful progress, connection, and purpose. John may no longer be with us in body, but his spirit remains the heartbeat of this work. Together, we carry forward his vision for a healthier, more connected world.
Thank you for being part of this journey. As we step into 2025, I invite you to stay curious, stay hopeful, and stay connected—to your health, to one another, and to the wisdom within.
With gratitude,
Martha Carlin, is a “Citizen Scientist”,
systems thinker, wife of Parkinson’s warrior, John Carlin, and founder of The BioCollective , a microbiome company expanding
the reach of science and BiotiQuest, the first of it’s kind probiotic line. Since John’s diagnosis in 2002,
Martha began learning the science of agriculture, nutrition, environment, infectious disease, Parkinson’s
pathology and much more. In 2014, when the first research was published showing a connection between the gut
bacteria and the two phenotypes of Parkinson’s, Martha quit her former career as a business turnaround expert
and founded The BioCollective to accelerate the discovery of the impact of gut health on all human disease. Martha was a speaker at the White House 2016 Microbiome Initiative launch, challenging the scientific
community to “think in a broader context”. Her systems thinking background and experience has led to collaborations
across the scientific spectrum from neuroscience to engineering to infectious disease. She is a respected out of the
box problem solver in the microbiome field and brings a unique perspective to helping others understand the
connections from the soil to the food to our guts and our brains.
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