uBiome Awards Grant to Morgan State University and Non-Profit Green and Healthy Homes Initiative to Study Effects of Environmental Molds on Microbial Diversity
The leader in microbial genomics awards grant to Morgan State University with support of non-profit Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI) in Maryland to examine the impact of household mold contamination in homes on the skin microbiome.
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 11, 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 researchers at Morgan State University led by Dr. Douglas Dluzen, PhD, and Hector Moreno at GHHI, to study the association of built environmental microbiomes with skin microbiomes of low-income residents living in potentially mold-contaminated homes in Baltimore City.
The Dluzen Laboratory has partnered with the Green and Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), a non-profit organization dedicated to improving health outcomes and understanding the link between potential mold contamination in low-income housing and health outcomes in children and adults. The goal of the study is to explore the association of built environmental microbiomes with occupant skin microbiomes and to examine the change in microbial diversity after mold remediation by GHHI in Baltimore City homes. Dr. Dluzen and Moreno hypothesize that the presence of mold reduces the diversity of the microbiome and selects for the presence of pathogenic microbes on the built environment and on the skin of occupants living there.
Data collected from the study will include skin microbiome composition from uBiome's patented kits, the presence of mold, and the diversity of microbes in control homes and mold-contaminated homes before and after mold remediation. The team hopes their research will improve understanding regarding mold's potential to predispose individuals to respiratory- and inflammatory-related conditions.
"This investigation into the potential relationship between pathogenic microbes and mold contamination may have larger implications for living standards and health disparities," said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. "We are honored to support this study by Morgan State University and their partner Green and Healthy Homes Initiative."
Dr. Dluzen, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Biology at Morgan State University. His lab studies the intersection of human health disparities, aging, and the environment.
About the Grant, Dr. Dluzen said, "This is a really unique opportunity to partner the research and community outreach infrastructure of Morgan State and GHHI to address a health issue in Baltimore City. Importantly, the sample collection and data analysis will be spearheaded by Morgan undergraduate students who will obtain essential skill development and training to become part of the next generation of biomedical researchers and clinicians. We're so excited that uBiome is helping with this project."
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.
SOURCE Ubiome
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