NEW YORK — PhenoBiome said on Thursday that it has signed a nonexclusive US distribution deal for its direct-to-consumer GxGutHealth gut microbiome assay service with Genetic Direction.
According to PhenoBiome, GxGutHealth assesses an individual's gut microbiome and provides a report that can guide behavioral and other health interventions to improve gut health. The assays are processed by Eurofins subsidiary Clinical Enterprise.
On its website, PhenoBiome says its platform converts taxonomic signatures from 16S sequence data and gene lists into microbiome-wide quantitative functional capabilities. It deduces metabolic phenotypes reflecting the presence or absence of a pathway in all microbes from parts lists using a genome-based in silico reconstruction method.
Under the terms of the deal, Genetic Direction, a Dallas-based distributor of consumer genetic testing products, will offer GxGutHealth through its 900 affiliates throughout the US. Additional terms were not disclosed.
"Through more than a decade of research, our science team has identified the specific bacteria that contribute to more than 100 physiological functions in the human body and built a test that provides a complete and accurate picture of an individual patient's gut microbiome," Pavel Novichkov, PhenoBiome's cofounder and chief technology officer, said in a statement.
Palm Springs, California-based PhenoBiome also said that it has begun collaborating with an undisclosed animal health company to apply its gut microbiome technology to animal health and that it is planning to expand into additional markets including personalized prebiotics, probiotics, and food supplements.