Sequencing startup uBiome marked its next phase today with the launch of its new sales site where customers can order a swab kit for checking on the bacteria living in their gut, mouth, nose, genitals, or behind the ear.
More than 2,500 participants joined the group’s indiegogo campaign, which raised more than $350,000 (the largest crowdfunded campaign for citizen science project to date, according to the company). Now, new customers can order kits ranging from $89 (“Sequence Your Gut”) to $399 (“Sequence All 5 Sites”).
Microbial cells on our bodies outnumber our human cells 10 to one. Researchers estimate some 10,000 species of bacteria and other invisibles live in and on our body (see “Researchers Catalogue Your Microbial Zoo”), mostly as benign tenants. But our microscopic ecosystems can sometimes get out-of-whack and the overabundance or absence of different species has been implicated in diseases ranging from diabetes to depression (see “Transplanting Gut Microbes to Treat Disease”).
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