Is Bacteria Analytics the Key to Personalized Medicine?

Bacteria are no longer the enemy. Scientists and entrepreneurs have entered a race to develop tools and datasets that uncover the role microbes play in human health.

The human body contains a complex environment of bacteria that live on the skin, and in the mouth and gut — the microbiome. Genetic information in the microbiome outnumbers genetic information in human cells by 40:1

Advances in DNA sequencing and big data allow us to analyze bacteria like never before. Companies that focus on the microbiome could transform multi-billion dollar concerns like weight loss ($60B), probiotics ($30B), cosmetics, dental health, and even chronic diseases like diabetes.

• Will microbiome analysis change modern medicine?
• How are entrepreneurs involved?
• Is the money in sequencing, analytics, or drug development?

Moderator

Panelists

Colleen Cutcliffe, Ph.D., Co-founder & CEO, Whole Biome

Karim Dabbagh, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Second Genome

Jackie Papkoff, Ph.D., Vice President, Johnson & Johnson Innovation

Douglas Crawford, Ph.D., Managing Director, Mission Bay Capital, Associate Director, QB3