uBiome Appoints Dr. Pablo Valenzuela, PhD, World-Renowned Biochemist and Entrepreneur, to its Scientific Advisory Board

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, announces the addition of Dr. Pablo Valenzuela, PhD, co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and President of Andes Biotechnologies, to its Scientific Advisory Board. Joining the board of leading scientists and doctors from around the world, Dr. Valenzuela brings to uBiome expertise on the genetic studies of hepatitis viruses. The appointment will help uBiome continue its advancement in human microbiome research.

"Dr. Valenzuela has spent his career advancing scientific research and developing products that improve the state of medicine and healthcare," Dr. Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome, said. "We are in awe of his contributions to science and success as an entrepreneur, and we are grateful for his involvement on our Scientific Advisory Board."

Dr. Valenzuela previously served as co-founder and Vice President of R&D at Chiron Corporation where he was responsible for the development of products that facilitated the prevention or treatment of viral diseases such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and AIDS. Under his direction, scientists sequenced the genome of the AIDS virus, discovered the hepatitis C virus and developed a system of controls or tests for the detection of these viruses in blood banks, now used in all countries.

He has been involved in the founding and early-stage activities of several U.S. and Chilean biotechnology companies, including Ventria Biosciences, Algenis Inc., and Grupo Bios. In his academic career, Dr. Valenzuela has published more than 100 scientific papers. He has served as Director of the PhD Program in Biotechnology at Universidad Nacional Andrés Bello in Santiago and as Member of the Directive Board at Universidad San Sebastián. In 1997, he founded the Fundación Ciencia y Vida in Chile, and subsequently served as its Scientific Director. Honors include the UCSF Medal from the University of California (2014), Lifetime Achievement Award from the Life Sciences Association of Northern California (2013), Medalla Orden de la Cruz del Sur from the Presidency of Chile (2012), and the Chilean National Award in Applied Sciences and Technologies (2002), among others.

About joining uBiome's Scientific Advisory Board, Dr. Valenzuela said, "I am very happy to join uBiome's Scientific Advisory Board. They have a great team and a superb technology."

In addition to Dr. Valenzuela, the uBiome Scientific Advisory Board also includes Dr. Joseph DeRisi (MacArthur Genius and UCSF professor), Dr. Atul Butte (head of the Institute for Computational Health Sciences at UCSF), Dr. Katherine Pollard (Director, Gladstone Institute for Data Science and Biotechnology), Dr. Joel Palefsky (UCSF School of Medicine professor), Dr. George Church (leading geneticist at Harvard University), Dr. Liz Lipski (Academic Director of Nutrition and Integrative Health Programs at Maryland University of Integrative Health), Dr. Elaine Hsiao, PhD (UCLA), and other leading scientists. The company's Medical Advisory Board includes Dr. Alan Green (Society for Participatory Medicine), Dr. Leo Treyzon (Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), Dr. Cynthia Geyer (Medical Director of Canyon Ranch, Lenox), Dr. Robynne Chutkan (Georgetown University Hospital), Michael Docktor (Boston Children's Hospital), Dr. Tiffany Lester (Medical Director of Parsley Health in San Francisco), Dr. Joel Kahn (Founder of of the Kahn Center for Cardiac Longevity), as well as other accomplished clinicians.

About uBiome
Founded in 2012, uBiome is the leader in microbial genomics. The Company's mission is to advance the science of the microbiome and make it useful to people. uBiome combines its patented proprietary precision sequencingtm with machine learning and artificial intelligence to develop wellness products, clinical tests, and therapeutic targets. uBiome has filed for over 250 patents on its technology, which includes sample preparation, computational analysis, molecular techniques, as well as diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

uBiome's commercial products include SmartGuttm, the world's first sequencing-based clinical microbiome test, which identifies microbes in the gut for patients with chronic gut conditions such as IBD, IBS, Crohn's Disease, and ulcerative colitis; SmartJanetm, the first sequencing-based women's health screening test, which genotypes all 19 clinically relevant strains of HPV, identifies four common STDs, and surveys more than 20 vaginal microbes associated with bacterial vaginosis and other conditions; and Explorertm, a health and wellness product to understand the role that food and lifestyle can play in wellness.

uBiome's platform has been used by hundreds of thousands of consumers, patients, and doctors and more than 200 research institutions around the world, including the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), US National Institutes of Health (NIH), Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney.

Since its launch, the company has received widespread recognition including CNN 10: Startups to Watch, the IVY Technology Award, CNN Future 30, and was named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies in Healthcare in 2016 and in Data Science in 2018, as well as a Technology Pioneer from the World Economic Forum in 2018. For more information, visit http://www.uBiome.com.

SOURCE uBiome