uBiome Awards Grant to University of Alicante Researchers to Study Influence of Diet on Gut Microbiome and Sports Performance

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 09, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome, the leader in microbial genomics, has awarded microbiome research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis to researchers at the University of Alicante in Spain led by Dr. Isabel Sospedra, PhD, to study the effects of a nutritional intervention on the sports performance of professional female futsal players.

Changes in the gut observed using uBiome's patented kits before, during, and after a six-month nutritional intervention will be correlated with additional physiological measurements including body composition and measures of physical performance. With this data, Dr. Sospedra and her team hope to identify specific aspects of diet and the microbiota that influence sports performance.

Dr. Sospedra has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nursing in the faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Alicante since 2014 and has been a Course Director in Human Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Alicante since 2015. She has published over 10 articles in the area of human nutrition.

Among Dr. Sospedra's team is Dr. José Miguel Martínez, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Nursing and Dr. Estela González Rodríguez, PhD, Associate Professor of Nursing. About the grant, Dr. González said, "Several studies have reported that the optimization of the microbiota could positively alter body composition, but the influence of gut microbiota on sports performance has not yet been studied in depth. Our group is interested in the study of the relationships between the gut microbiota and the physical performance and health status of athletes of different sports."

"This study has a potential to discover a correlation between diet, the gut, and sport performance," said Jessica Richman, PhD, co-founder and CEO of uBiome. "We are excited to support the University of Alicante in analyzing this understudied group of professional female athletes."

Through its Microbiome Grant Initiative, uBiome has awarded millions of dollars in research support to hundreds of investigators around the world at renowned academic institutions and not-for-profit research organizations, including Harvard University, Stanford University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of California, San Francisco, Oxford University, and the University of Sydney. Awards include patented microbiome sequencing kits, as well as research support in study design, planning, sample collection, and analysis. To learn more about our award process or to submit a grant proposal, visit http://www.ubiome.com/microbiome-grant-initiative/.

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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