San Diego, Calif., November 15, 2017 - The UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) announces that Pfizer Inc. has joined the Corporate Member Board.

“We are thrilled to have Pfizer join CMI in pioneering microbiome science,” said Center Faculty Director Rob Knight. “This relationship aims to build on recent evidence connecting the microbiome to drug response and, together with our other partners in microbiome methods and data science, will potentially help us move from reading out changes in the microbiome to using it to improve patient care.”

The Center for Microbiome Innovation exists to inspire, nurture and sustain vibrant collaborations between UC San Diego Microbiome experts and many industry partners [hyperlink to our home page where the partner logos are]. The Center encompassed a large range of expertise from microbiome sampling, a broad range of technologies (metagenomics, metabolomics, meta transcriptomics) and data analysis using high performance algorithms, machine learning and modeling. The ultimate goal is to increase knowledge on microbiome impact on human health or environment with an eye to provide innovative solutions and treatment to major disease.

“We believe that key questions in the promising area of microbiome research have yet to be answered. The CMI – both the faculty and the consortium partners – is well-positioned to help provide answers that may ultimately be used to inform the development of efficacious microbiome-based therapies,” said Arpita Maiti, Senior Director, External Science & Innovation, Pfizer.

Pfizer will have the opportunity to influence the research directions of the center by holding two seats on the Corporate Member Board, as well as having regular communication with the center team of experts.

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About the UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation

The objective of the Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) is to accelerate microbiome research and understanding, through partnerships with industry sponsors. Together we will develop novel tools and methods to improve human health and benefit the environment by analyzing and manipulating microbiomes — the distinct and diverse communities of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms that live within and around us. This is a multidisciplinary center with access to all the latest omics tools (genomics, metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, multiplex proteomics), processing hundreds of thousands of samples each year and analyzing and collecting data for some of the largest microbiome cohorts in the world. Applications range from human disease understanding, ag bio, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, environmental research, to consumer goods