The leader in microbial genomics announces research collaboration with Bay Area AI-powered precision medicine startup to predict optimal food supplements for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) January 16, 2019
uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, has launched a research collaboration with doc.ai, a medical research platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and a data-centric approach to decentralize medicine using blockchain to better predict the most effective supplements for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
People will Crohn’s or other chronic medical conditions join a relevant study through the free doc.ai app. As data from an increasingly biodiverse population accumulates, doc.ai enables medical researchers to conduct studies more quickly, inexpensively, and accurately. The app then uses artificial intelligence to build and provide personal health insights for participants, which is anonymized, encrypted, and decentralized to ensure privacy and security.
“Both uBiome and doc.ai value individuals’ ability to play a role in advancing science and taking greater control of their health,” said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. “We are excited to partner with doc.ai for this innovative research approach and look forward to watching the company evolve.”
Individuals with Crohn’s will be recruited by but not limited to Crohnology, a patient-centered information sharing network for people with chronic medical conditions that allows any patient to contribute to research towards a cure. Users will get rewarded for inputting their data and helping accelerate research.
Omics data imported into the doc.ai app will include microbiome composition from uBiome’s patented kits, supplement information using Pharmacome, exercise and physiological characteristics from Apple Healthkit or Fitbit using Physiome, current and past air quality and environmental influences using Exposome, and physical traits using Phenome – all omics modules developed by doc.ai.
“At doc.ai, we use AI technology to deliver decentralized precision medicine to our users,” said Sam De Brouwer, co-founder and COO of doc.ai. “We are already running a data trial ‘Can AI Predict Your Risks for Allergies?’ with 2,000 participants. We are looking forward to our collaboration with uBiome in the Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis disease field to deliver personalized insights to our users while accelerating medical research at large.”
The study will be led by Dr. Shekhar Challa, MD, President of Kansas Medical Clinic PA. Dr. Challa is Board Certified in Gastroenterology and in Internal Medicine. He has served as a member of several national and international organizations, including Board Member of the Osteoporosis Division of Proctor & Gamble, Chairperson of Internal Medicine Symposium since 1993, and Program Co-Director of the GI Symposium since 1989. In 1997, he founded Osteoporosis Services, the largest mobile bone density company in the Midwest, which provides services to more than 150 rural hospitals, and has been the principal investigator for 17 clinical research trials. Dr. Challa is an award-winning author of “Winning the Hepatitis C Battle” and “Spurn the Burn - How to Beat the Heat of Acid Reflux."
About the study, Dr. Challa said, “When I began practicing 31 years ago, our options for treating IBD with supplements were limited. This certainly is not true today – we have several new options to explore now. I am convinced that Artificial Intelligence is the next frontier in helping us open new doors as to how we look at treating IBD. I am proud to be part of the doc.ai team to explore the role of supplements in IBD.
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.
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About doc.ai
Founded in 2016 by Walter and Sam De Brouwer, doc.ai is an AI-powered medical research platform that uses blockchain technology to collect medical data securely using encryption to generate insights from that information for people. The company’s mission is to decentralize precision medicine onto the blockchain and accelerate the transformation of healthcare to enable people to live better lives.
doc.ai’s AI and machine learning platform includes proprietary datasets and models to aid in the development of predictive models with other real-world data to provide personalized feedback to users about their medical issues. doc.ai enables medical researchers to conduct studies more quickly, inexpensively, and accurately. By joining crowd-backed research data trials, individuals contribute to the advancement of medical research.
Since its launch, doc.ai has received recognition from WIRED, CNBC, WSJ, Forbes, VentureBeat, Silicon Review, EconoTimes, Ethereum World News, HealthcareITNews, and Techonomy. For more information or to download the free doc.ai app, visit http://www.doc.ai.