UBiome

uBiome was founded in October 2012 by Jessica Richman and Zachary Apte, two scientists from the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences. It was a privately held, citizen science startup that sequences the human microbiome. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2019, later ceasing all operations and liquidating assets.

The company's commercial products include:

• SmartGut - a 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. The test detect both beneficial and pathogenic microorganisms associated with these gut conditions.

• SmartJane - a sequencing based women's health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identified four common STDs (chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, and mycoplasma genitalium), and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions. However, it does not screen for cancer and is not intended to replace traditional Pap smears or well woman visits.

• SmartFlu - an upper respiratory test that analyzes nasal microbiome when a person experiences cold or flu symptoms. It detects bacteria and viruses associated with health conditions such as, the flu, common cold, and bacterial infections. This product is available by invite-only as of February 2019.

• Explorer - a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness.

In September 2018, uBiome announced that it will be supporting drug-discovery efforts using its technology at a new Cambridge, Massachusetts headquarters. It also raised $83 million in a Series C round of funding.