uBiome Awards Groundbreaking Grant to Investigators at NYU Winthrop Hospital to Study Gut Dysbiosis Signatures in Multiple Myeloma Patients

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 13, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, has awarded microbiome research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis to a team of cancer researchers at NYU Winthrop Hospital led by Dr. Marc Braunstein, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine, to compare the gut microbiome in individuals with MM, individuals with a precursor state of the disease, and healthy controls.

Dr. Braunstein's team hypothesizes that the intestinal microbiome in MM patients is primarily abnormal, and contains disease-specific dysbiosis signatures that can distinguish symptomatic patients from precursor state and healthy controls.

To test this, the team will compare the gut microbial diversity of healthy controls with the gut microbial diversity of untreated patients with monoclonal gammopathy (MGUS), a precursor state of MM, and will also compare MM patients both at diagnosis and following induction chemotherapy. These results will help define microbial disease-specific signatures that may potentially inform future prognosis and treatment.

About the grant, Dr. Braunstein said, "Being a cancer of plasma cells, multiple myeloma causes dysregulation of the adaptive immune system which under normal circumstances produces antibodies that interact with the gut microbiome. Partnering with uBiome will allow us to perform a comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiome in multiple myeloma and its precursor conditions which may lead to breakthroughs on how the gut microbiome can be modulated to prevent disease progression."

Dr. Marc Braunstein, MD, PhD, is an Attending Physician of hematologic oncology at NYU Winthrop and Co-director of the NYU Winthrop Autologous Stem Cell Transplant Program. His research focus is cancer immunology, and he has published several papers on the biology of multiple myeloma. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the American College of Physicians, and the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

"The role of disease-specific gut dysbiosis signatures in blood cancers is an exciting area of research we are proud to support," said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. "We are honored to collaborate with NYU Winthrop researchers for this novel study."

Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome has awarded millions of dollars in research support to hundreds of investigators around the world at renowned academic institutions and not-for-profit research organizations, including Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney. Awards include patented microbiome sequencing kits, as well as research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis. To learn more about our award process or to submit a grant proposal, visit http://www.ubiome.com/microbiome-grant-initiative/.
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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 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.
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About NYU Winthrop Hospital
NYU Winthrop is the Long Island affiliate of NYU Langone Health and is ranked by US News & World Report as one of the top-10 New York metro-area hospitals. The hospital was founded in 1896 by local physicians and concerned citizens and is now a 591-bed medical center and ACS Level 1 Trauma Center. The Hospital features more than 75 divisions of specialty care, offering comprehensive inpatient and outpatient programs and services to address every stage of life. NYU Winthrop also has a Research Institute that conducts robust research and studies that are helping to shape the future of medicine. The Hospital, with ties to New York University, blends the progressive philosophy and advances of a teaching and research institution with a personal approach to patient care that is the cornerstone of the organization. For more information, visit http://www.nyuwinthrop.org.

SOURCE Ubiome

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