SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, announces the addition of Dr. Steven Salzberg, PhD, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, and Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Joining the board of leading scientists and doctors from around the world, Dr. Salzberg will bring to uBiome his extensive knowledge in sequencing technologies and the computational methods for analysis of DNA. The appointment will help uBiome continue its advancement in human microbiome research.

“Dr. Salzberg’s expertise on DNA and RNA sequencing is invaluable for uBiome’s progress towards harnessing the latest technology developments to provide insights on patient health,” said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. “We are very fortunate to welcome Dr. Salzberg to uBiome’s Scientific Advisory Board.”

In addition to his role as a faculty member in the top-ranked Biomedical Engineering department at John Hopkins University, Dr. Salzberg is also Director of the Center for Computational Biology and a member of the McKusick-Nathans Institute of Genetic Medicine. Previously, he served as the Horvitz Professor of Computer Science and Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland, College Park. Dr. Salzberg has also worked at The Institute for Genomic Research, where he sequenced the genomes of many bacteria, including those used in the 2001 anthrax attacks. While there, he was part of the Human Genome Project and the co-founder of the influenza virus sequencing project. Throughout the course of his career, he has published more than 250 scientific papers.

About joining uBiome’s Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Salzberg said, “We’re just beginning to learn about the microbes that live on and inside our bodies, and how those microbes interact with us to affect our health. I’m excited to see how uBiome is using DNA sequencing to help doctors and patients understand this rich, complex microbial environment.”

In addition to Dr. Salzberg, 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 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