SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 2, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, has awarded Explorer™ microbiome kits to a team of researchers at Harvard Medical School led by Isaac (Zak) Kohane, MD, PhD, to support the NEER (Network of Enigmatic Exceptional Responders) Study.
Part of the People-Powered Medicine project, the goal of the NEER Study is to gather detailed, comprehensive health information on the rare subset of patients who respond well to therapies that are not effective for most others. The NEER team believes that studying these exceptional responders in depth will lead to insights that can help other patients.
The extensive data collected from each patient will include genomics, tumor genetics, microbiome sequencing using uBiome's kits, medical and health history, activity level, and lifestyle habits. This information will be compiled into a national registry and database, open and available to the entire scientific community. The hope is that this will enable the intense study of these individuals and eventually lead to breakthroughs that can be applied to other cancer patients.
Kohane, lead investigator of the People-Powered Medicine project and NEER, is the Chair of the Department of Biomedical Informatics and the Marion V. Nelson Professor of Biomedical Informatics at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Kohane has published several hundred papers in the medical literature and authored a widely used book on Microarrays for Integrative Genomics.
"We are delighted to work with the outstanding researchers at Harvard Medical School on this unique and innovative project. This is exactly the type of study that we strive to support with our Microbiome Grant Initiative: cutting-edge science investigating important populations with the potential to make significant discoveries," said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome.
"We are only beginning to understand the role that the microbiome might play in response to cancer treatment and immunity," Kohane said. "NEER is grateful for the support uBiome will provide to help us elucidate that role."
Through the Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome awards its microbiome sequencing kits to researchers. To date, uBiome has awarded millions of dollars in research samples to hundreds of investigators around the world.
uBiome's technology platform is based on the largest human microbiome dataset in the world (over 250,000 samples, growing to over 1 million in 2019), covered by six issued patents (and over 180 patent applications), and used in over 20 peer-reviewed publications and presentations. This platform has been used by over 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, San Francisco, University College London, and University of Sydney.
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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 therapeutics.
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
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