uBiome Announces Over $1 Million in Microbiome Grant Funding to Support National Microbiome Initiative

uBiome announces over $1 million in grant funding for microbiome research projects with great potential to advance human health and well-being.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) May 13, 2016

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) is hosting leading experts in the microbiome field from both the public and private sectors to launch the National Microbiome Initiative at the White House today. To support the OSTP's efforts, uBiome is announcing over $1 million in grant funding to both academic researchers and citizen scientists for microbiome sampling and related analysis.

Watch the White House livestream of the event at 1 pm EST today here: http://whitehouse.gov/live

Since 2012, uBiome has built large cohorts for microbiome research in partnership with innovative researchers and organizations around the world. Studies have focused on neurodegenerative disorders (including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease), connections between oncology and the microbiome, psychological disorders, chronic gut conditions, and many others.

Some recent studies and partnerships include:

• Partnership with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study hospital-acquired infections by tracking how treatments, such as antibiotics, alter gut bacteria and may increase risk for disease.
• Partnership with MIT-affiliated OpenBiome to study the microbiome of patients undergoing Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) as a treatment for Clostridia Difficile infections.
• Partnership with Cynthia Bulik, PhD, FAED, Associate Director of the Center of Genomics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine to examine the gut microbiome of individuals with eating disorders.
• Partnership with the University of Chicago and Central Queensland University's Appleton Institute on the effects of sleep duration on the composition of the human microbiome and associations in mental health and weight management issues.
• Partnership with Dr. Jeremy Horst, DDS, PhD, of the University of California, San Francisco to evaluate significant correlations of bacterial profiles of the dental microbiome and dental ailments such as periodontal disease, gingivitis, and dental caries.

uBiome was founded in 2012 by Jessica Richman and Dr. Zachary Apte, following a crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $350,000 from citizen scientists, triple its initial goal. The company provides an opportunity for citizen scientists, academic institutions, companies, and others to participate in microbiome research.

uBiome CEO Jessica Richman says, "We're incredibly excited to partner with the White House OSTP's National Microbiome Initiative through this over $1 million grant program for academic researchers and citizen scientists alike. Our goal is to fast track studies with the greatest potential to affect human health and well-being."

uBiome CTO Dr. Zachary Apte adds, "Progress in the microbiome field has expanded rapidly over the past couple of years. The OSTP's efforts to bring the scientific community together to accelerate microbiome research have the potential to rapidly advance our understanding of the interconnection between the microbiome and human health."

uBiome's Advisory Board is made up of several prominent researchers, visionary physicians, and subject matter experts including Linda Avey, Dr. Atul Butte, Dr. David Agus, Dr. Robynne Chutkan, Dr. Walter De Brouwer, Dr. Michael Docktor, Dr. Joseph DeRisi, Dr. Jonathan Eisen, Dr. Daniel Kraft, Dr. Pablo Valenzuela, and Dr. Spencer Wells.

uBiome's mission is to use big data to understand the human microbiome by giving researchers and citizen scientists the power to learn about their bodies, perform experiments, and see how current research studies apply to them.

Contact:
Julie Taylor
julie(at)ubiome(dot)com
415.212.9214

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/05/prweb13413797.htm