A high-level Google search for microbiome companies and entities working with microbiome research or services shows that there are at least 20 operating around Cambridge, MA alone, including the largest stool bank in the US supplying the majority of material for investigations of Fecal Matter Transplants (FMT) for a variety of serious diseases. There are also many international pharmaceutical and biotech companies with locations in our area who are partnered with companies working on microbiome directed therapies, in addition to our universities, research institutions, and medical communities. Discoveries of the implications of the microbiome on human health and disease are opening a whole new field with great potential to impact human health. There is much that is not known from a scientific perspective, but the field is hungry for information and involvement.

This forum will provide an opportunity for interactive discussion with our expert panel on current approaches to developing microbiome-targeted therapies, key roadblocks, technical needs, and the knowledge gaps that exist. The goal of the forum is to bring together various stakeholders in our community to build awareness of what is currently going on in the field, understand what resources are at our disposal, and to help each other overcome barriers and accelerate therapies to market for patients.

Sponsored by our Drug Discovery (DD) Forum Working Group.