uBiome is holding a challenge that encourages people to submit proposals for a chance to win a grant. The challenge, called the Clinical Outcomes in Microbial Genomics Innovation Challenge, is open to submissions from healthcare providers, trainees, researchers, and students from around the world. The people whose proposals are chosen as the winners will receive grants, including the use of uBiome’s clinical testing kits, microbiome sequencing, and bioinformatics services. For more information about this, you can view the source press release here, at PR Web.
What the Microbiome Is
More than 100 trillion microbes live on or in humans – meaning that for every one human cell in your body, there are about ten microbes. The microbiome is the genetic material of all of the microbes that co-exist with a human body. The microbiome is a relatively recent discovery, and it only became generally recognised in the late 1990s, however, it’s now known to play an important role in many systems of the body, including digestion, the immune system, vitamin production, and others. The microbiome has also been linked to autoimmune conditions including diabetes, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis, amongst others. Right now, there is a lot of research looking into the human microbiome and its effects, including the NIH-sponsored Human Microbiome Project, which has been granted a budget of $150 million to study the role of the microbiome in health and disease.
uBiome’s Competition
To support and encourage more research into the microbiome, uBiome is holding a competition for research ideas open to people working on their own, or in teams, from all levels of scientific research. People who are successful in the competition could have the chance to work with uBiome’s research team, raw data, and clinical testing kits. Currently, uBiome offers two tests: SmartGut™ and SmartJane™. The former is used for sequencing microbes in the gut, while the second is designed for women as a health-screening tool.
The initial deadline for applications is the 31st October 2018, and you can find out more about the challenge at uBiome’s website by clicking here.
