– BiomeSense raises $2M in seed funding to expand its biosensor and analytics platform for daily gut microbiome tracking.
– The company is working on completing its prototype biosensor and data modeling platform in preparation for the first clinical trials, scheduled for 2020.
– The trials will investigate cancer progression, immunotherapy response, surgical recovery and athletic performance.
BiomeSense, a Chicago, IL-based microbiome startup developing a novel biosensor and analytics platform for daily gut microbiome tracking has raised $2M in seed funding led by BioX Clan with participation from Seerave Foundation and SOSV.
Enabling Continuous Microbiome Testing
Founded in 2018 by Kevin Honaker and Dr. Jack Gilbert, BiomeSense is developing an at-home biosensor to produce continuous gut microbiome data and a cloud-based analytics platform to turn that data into actionable clinical insights. The company provides this solution to scientists studying the microbiome, delivering dramatically more data over the course of a trial than currently available and enabling an unprecedented understanding of how short-term changes in the microbiome influence clinical outcomes.
Expansion to Complete Prototype Biosensor and Data Modeling Platform
The company plans to use the seed funding to complete its prototype biosensor and data modeling platform in preparation for first clinical trials, scheduled for 2020. Those trials were oversubscribed within weeks of their availability, reflecting the widespread support BiomeSense has received from the research community since its launch from the Polsky Center at The University of Chicago.
Indicating the breadth of the impact a better understanding of the gut microbiome can have on human health, those trials will investigate cancer progression, immunotherapy response, surgical recovery and athletic performance.
Human Microbiome: The Next Frontier of Precision Medicine
“The human microbiome is the next frontier of precision medicine with enormous possibilities for improving our health,” said Kevin Honaker, BiomeSense co-founder and CEO. “Understanding how and why the microbiome changes over time is key to fully unlocking that potential, but today, getting continuous data at a reasonable cost is impossible.
“Now, thanks to the confidence of our funding and research partners, we’ll be able to launch the first-ever solution to that problem in human trials next year.”