NEW YORK – Illumina and Australia's Microba Life Sciences said on Monday they will partner on human gut microbiome research in the Asia Pacific region.
The partners will work together on research connecting the microbiome to aspects of human health, including neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease, mental health, sleep, and nutrition.
"With genomic sequencing at the forefront of understanding human health, the partnership will aim to explore and demonstrate potential applications of gut microbiome profiling by combining Illumina's established credibility and global reach in next-generation sequencing with Microba's progressive analytical services," Gretchen Weightman, Illumina's VP and general manager of Asia Pacific and Japan, said in a statement.
Financial and other details of the partnership were not disclosed.
Brisbane, Australia-based Microba offers a proprietary microbiome analysis platform, ranging from a validated sample collection method to bioinformatics.
Illumina has previously boosted several microbiome-focused startups through its Illumina Accelerator program, including UK-based Juno Bio and Millbrae, California-based VastBiome.