MICROBIOME HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE INC

THE GLOBAL MICROBIOME CONSERVANCY (GMBC) PROGRAM AT OPENBIOME PARTNERS WITH SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD TO CONSERVE, STUDY, AND SHARE UNDERREPRESENTED AND AT-RISK HUMAN MICROBIOME DIVERSITY. THE GMBC HAS ESTABLISHED A NETWORK OF 80+ RESEARCHERS IN OVER THREE DOZEN COUNTRIES AND BUILT A DIVERSE COLLECTION OF SAMPLES AND BACTERIAL ISOLATES TO SPARK SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY AND ENABLE NEW SOLUTIONS TO MICROBIOME-ASSOCIATED DISEASE.THE GMBC WAS ESTABLISHED TO SOLVE THE URGENT NEED FOR A DEEPER, MORE GLOBALLY REPRESENTATIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN MICROBIOME THAT ADDRESSES THE HEALTH CONCERNS OF ALL. A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN MICROBIOME IS CRITICAL TO SOLVING GLOBAL HEALTH CHALLENGES SUCH AS ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE, MALNUTRITION, DEPRESSION, AS WELL AS AUTOIMMUNE AND METABOLIC DISORDERS THAT ARE LINKED TO THE COMMUNITIES OF BACTERIA THAT LIVE WITHIN US. HOWEVER, OUR CURRENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE, LARGELY BASED ON U.S. AND EUROPEAN POPULATIONS, IS BIASED AND VASTLY INCOMPLETE. AS INDUSTRIALIZATION DISRUPTS HUMAN MICROBIOME DIVERSITY ON A GLOBAL SCALE, THE WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY AND APPLY THE FULL POTENTIAL OF THE HUMAN MICROBIOME IS CLOSING.TO RADICALLY EXPAND SCIENTISTS' VIEW OF THE MICROBIOME, THE GMBC PROGRAM HAS BUILT A GLOBALLY REPRESENTATIVE COLLECTION OF HUMAN MICROBIOME SAMPLES, BACTERIAL ISOLATES, AND ASSOCIATED METADATA AS A RESOURCE FOR THE RESEARCH COMMUNITY. WORKING WITH LOCAL SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD, WE COLLECT AND CONSERVE MICROBIOME SAMPLES (PRIMARILY GUT, BUT ALSO MOUTH, SKIN AND OTHER BODY SITES) FROM PARTICIPATING COMMUNITIES. THESE SAMPLES ARE THEN CHARACTERIZED AND, FROM THEM, THE GMBC GENERATES BACTERIAL ISOLATES. RESULTING RESEARCH MATERIALS AND ASSOCIATED DATA ARE SHARED THROUGH THE GMBC COLLECTIONTHE MOST GLOBALLY REPRESENTATIVE COLLECTION OF ITS KIND THAT PROVIDES SCIENTISTS ACCESS TO PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE BIODIVERSITY.IN NOVEMBER 2023, OPENBIOME BEGAN THE TRANSFER OF THE GLOBAL MICROBIOME CONSERVANCY PROGRAM TO KIEL UNIVERSITY. OPENBIOME REMAINS A FUNDER OF THE PROGRAM AND AGREED TO DISTRIBUTE A MAXIMUM OF FOUR (4) GRANTS UP TO $50,000 EACH TO IN-COUNTRY COLLABORATORS IN THE 2024 COLLECTION PIPELINE.