SAN FRANCISCO, Jan, 15, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, announces the addition of Dr. Purna Kashyap, MBBS, Associate Professor of Medicine and Physiology at Mayo Clinic, to its Advisory Board. Joining the board of leading scientists and doctors from around the world, Dr. Kashyap will bring to uBiome expertise in the influence of gut microbiome on host physiological interactions. The appointment will help uBiome continue its advancement in human microbiome research.
"Dr. Kashyap has spent his career better understanding the pathogenesis of functional gastrointestinal disorders and develop new, improved treatment options for patients," Dr. Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome, said. "We are honored to have him on our advisory board and look forward to his future contributions."
Dr. Kashyap is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology in the Department of Internal Medicine and Associate Professor of Physiology in the Department of Physiology & Biomedical Engineering at Mayo Clinic. In addition, he is a Consultant of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and Co-director of the Microbiome program and Director of the Germ-Free Mouse facility at the Center for Individualized Medicine at Mayo Clinic. He attended Bangalore Medical College in India, completed his residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and completed his fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. At Mayo Clinic's Gut Microbiome Lab, Dr. Kashyap is investigating the complex interactions between gut bacteria and dietary carbohydrates and their influence on host physiological function, such as gastrointestinal motility. He hopes to develop new biomarkers and microbiota-targeted therapies for the treatment of functional GI disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome associated with altered gastrointestinal motility.
Dr. Kashyap is currently an Abstract Reviewer and on the planning committee at the Federation of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, on the Scientific Advisory Board for Gut Microbiota for Health, a council member for the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, a councilor of Microbiome and Microbial Disease of Gastrointestinal Tract, and a board member for the AGA Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education. In addition, he has received several awards including the Eugenia Mayer Bolz Award for outstanding patient care and the Mayo Foundation Scholarship by Mayo Clinic (2010) and the Travel Award by the AGA (2009, 2008, 2007).
About joining uBiome's Advisory Board, Dr. Kashyap said, "My clinical interests center on functional gastrointestinal disorders, obesity and Clostridium difficile-associated disease. My research efforts include understanding temporal changes and stability in gut microbiome and their relationship to diet and host physiology. My specific interests lie in elucidating the role of gut microbiota and microbial products in modulating host serotonergic pathway and gastrointestinal motility, the effect of gut microbiome on obesity therapies and the alterations in gut microbial and metabolic milieu that predispose individuals to Clostridium difficile infection. My research is geared towards transforming patient care by rational manipulation of the microbiome. I am excited to join the advisory board of uBiome and I look forward to helping uBiome further its scientific mission and integrate microbiome science in clinical practice."
In addition to Dr. Kashyap, the uBiome Scientific Advisory Board also includes Dr. Joseph DeRisi (MacArthur Genius and UCSF professor), Dr. Atul Butte (head of the Institute for Computational Health Sciences at UCSF), Dr. Katherine Pollard (Director, Gladstone Institute for Data Science and Biotechnology), Dr. Joel Palefsky (UCSF School of Medicine professor), Dr. George Church (leading geneticist at Harvard University), Dr. Liz Lipski (Academic Director of Nutrition and Integrative Health Programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health), Dr. Elaine Hsiao, PhD (UCLA), and other leading scientists. The company's Medical Advisory Board includes Dr. Alan Green (Society for Participatory Medicine), Dr. Leo Treyzon (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Dr. Cynthia Geyer (Medical Director of Canyon Ranch, Lenox), Dr. Robynne Chutkan (Georgetown University Hospital), Michael Docktor (Boston Children's Hospital), Dr. Tiffany Lester (Medical Director of Parsley Health in San Francisco), Dr. Joel Kahn (Founder of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity), as well as other accomplished clinicians.
About uBiome
Founded in 2012, uBiome is the leader in microbial genomics. The Company's mission is to advance the science of the microbiome and make it useful to people. uBiome combines its patented proprietary precision sequencing™ with machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop wellness products, clinical tests and therapeutic targets. uBiome has filed for over 250 patents on its technology, which includes sample preparation, computational analysis, molecular techniques, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
uBiome's commercial products include SmartGut™, the world's first sequencing-based clinical microbiome test, which identifies microbes in the gut for patients with chronic gut conditions such as IBD, IBS, Crohn's Disease, and ulcerative colitis; SmartJane™, the first sequencing-based women's health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identifies four common STDs, and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions; and Explorer™, a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness.
uBiome's platform has been used by hundreds of thousands of consumers, patients, and doctors and more than 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney.
Since its launch, the company has received widespread recognition including CNN 10: Startups to Watch, the IVY Technology Award, CNN Future 30, and was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare in 2016 and in Data Science in 2018, as well as a Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.uBiome.com.
SOURCE Ubiome
Share this article