Our platform is based on samples of microbial populations collected from a large number of animals.

These samples represent what the microbiome looks like in healthy, diseased, and dysbiotic states. These populations are then characterized at the genomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic levels to generate a microbial atlas for each animal species: a comprehensive dataset describing what bacteria are present, how abundant they are, and what functions they perform within that ecosystem.

Microbial atlases provide us with a wealth of resources to draw from and allow us to identify novel candidate probiotic species with unique functions and properties. Rather than being limited to the chance discovery of a bacterial strain with beneficial effects, we are able to selectively identify strains with desired characteristics. We also use a similar approach to the discovery of bioactive microbial metabolites and peptides. In some applications, new probiotic species are then engineered to produce proteins that can direct the immune response, similarly to a vaccine or an anti-toxin.