Distinguished Gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Docktor, Joins uBiome Advisory Board
San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 21, 2016 -- uBiome, the leading microbial genomics company, welcomes highly-respected pediatric gastroenterologist Dr. Michael Docktor to its Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Docktor is one of MedTech Boston’s “40 under 40 in Healthcare” and has been a practicing gastroenterologist, specializing in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), at Boston Children’s Hospital since 2008. He is currently the hospital’s clinical director of Innovation and is also the co-founder and lead of Hacking Pediatrics, the first hackathon focused on pediatric healthcare, sponsored by Boston Children’s Hospital.
Dr. Docktor’s professional interests include the microbiome of inflammatory bowel disease and the use of fecal microbiota transplantation in IBD and other pediatric illnesses. He is a champion of bringing consumer technology, informatics, and design into healthcare through his role as the director of Clinical Mobile Solutions and his work as the clinical director of the Innovation and Digital Health Accelerator at Boston Children’s Hospital.
uBiome is the world’s leading microbial genomics company, using next generation high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to deliver detailed analysis of the human microbiome, the rich and diverse diverse ecosystem of bacteria which coexist in and on the human body. Individuals can have their own microbiomes tested by providing a straightforward self-swabbed sample, which they return by mail. A one-site test costs $89, and tests are currently available for six sites – gut, oral, dental, nose, genitals, and skin.
Trillions of microbial cells live in the microbiome, many playing crucial roles in supporting life. For example, gut bacteria aid with digestion and the synthesis of vitamins. However, on the other hand pathogenic bacteria are associated with a range of conditions, some very serious, such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease – including both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, esophageal reflux and esophageal cancer, Clostridium difficile infection, colorectal cancer, and many others.
Dr. Docktor is looking forward to his new role with uBiome. He says: “The microbiome is the next frontier and we are just scratching the surface with our understanding of its impact on health and disease. I’ve followed uBiome’s progress closely since their 2012 launch. Conditions like inflammatory bowel disease hit children particularly hard but traditional healthcare research practices make understanding the disease incredibly slow and difficult to scale. We need a healthcare revolution which brings disruptive new thinking, new technology, and innovative approaches to the table. This is exactly what uBiome is doing, so I’m thrilled to be joining their advisory team.”
Jessica Richman, co-founder and CEO of uBiome, says: “Dr. Docktor has a remarkable track record in pushing at the boundaries of gastroenterology and has championed our work from Day 1, so it’s a true honor to welcome him to our scientific advisory board. uBiome is playing an increasingly big part in revolutionizing healthcare, so I’m incredibly inspired to have Dr. Docktor – such an enlightened and gifted professional – joining us on our journey.”
Dr. Zachary Apte, CTO and co-founder of uBiome adds: “Dr. Docktor is on record as saying that he loves seeing what happens when brilliant people from different disciplines get together to solve problems, and that’s exactly what’s going on at uBiome. Our own team already has expert microbiologists working alongside talented data scientists, and our ever-growing board of scientific advisors is expanding our horizons every day.”
uBiome was launched in 2012 by scientists and technologists educated at Stanford and UCSF after a crowdfunding campaign raised over $350,000 from citizen scientists, around triple its initial goal. The company is now funded by Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, and other leading investors.
uBiome’s mission is to use big data to understand the human microbiome by giving users the power to learn about their bodies, perform experiments, and see how current research studies apply to them.
Contact:
Orli Kadoch
orli(at)ubiome.com
Jessica Richman, [email protected], http://www.indiegogo.com/ubiome, +1 (415) 275-2461, [email protected]
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