SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, announces the addition of Dr. Sarkis K. Mazmanian, PhD, Luis & Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), to its Scientific Advisory Board. Joining the board of leading scientists and doctors from around the world, Dr. Mazmanian will bring to uBiome expertise in novel therapies for immunologic disorders. The appointment will help uBiome continue its advancement in human microbiome research.

“With additional therapeutics focus, we look forward to working with Dr. Mazmanian in the development of therapies for a variety of disorders, including immunologic and neurologic disorders,” Dr. Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome, said. “We are extremely proud to welcome him to our board of advisors.”

Dr. Mazmanian received his PhD from the University of California Los Angeles in microbiology and immunology. He was a Helen Hay Whitney Postdoctoral Fellow and subsequently appointed assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in 2006. Soon after, he moved to Caltech and established his laboratory, which studies the beneficial bacterial molecules from the human gut microbiome as novel therapies for immunologic and neurologic disorders. In addition, he founded two biotech companies, Axial Biotherapeutics and Symbiotix Biotherapies, Inc., and serves on the scientific advisory board of over a dozen companies, academic centers and not-for-profit foundations. Dr. Mazmanian has won numerous awards including a Searle Scholar, Young Investigator of the Year at Harvard Medical School, Damon Runyon Innovation Award, was named by Discover Magazine as one of the “Best Brains in Science under 40,” “Life Science Superstar” by Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, and recently received the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” award.

About joining uBiome’s Advisory Board, Dr. Mazmanian said, “I am truly excited about the powerful approaches uBiome has developed to explore the inter-relationships between humans and their microbiomes. I believe the company’s unique platform will lead to important discoveries in a variety of contexts, including the impact of the microbiome on various diseases. It is my pleasure to assist in advancing their technology and mission to improve human health and make a positive impact on society.”

In addition to Dr. Mazmanian, 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