Viome Life Sciences, a mission-driven systems biology company aiming to help individuals improve their health, announced the expansion of its two-year partnership with GSK, a science-led global healthcare company, to expand clinical research activities and potential development of new therapeutic interventions within the fields of chronic diseases including autoimmune diseases and cancers. This expansion builds on a previously announced collaboration to research the prevention of specific chronic diseases, leveraging Viome’s proprietary microbiome analysis and artificial intelligence platforms and GSK’s expertise in immunology.
“Most chronic disorders are treated with drugs targeting symptoms and not causes. Viome’s unique mRNA technology and state-of-the-art artificial intelligence platform have the potential to find the root causes of specific chronic disorders and cancers. With that critical information and the unique expertise of GSK, we aspire to one day cure these diseases and not just manage the symptoms,” said Viome CEO and Founder, Naveen Jain. “We are excited to expand our collaboration with GSK to develop preventative and therapeutic measures for chronic diseases and cancers.”
The gut microbiome is well recognized for its ability to shape immune fitness, with nearly 70-80% of the immune system housed inside the gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome supports the immune system, which is connected to an individual’s overall well-being, weight, energy, mood, and stress. Imbalances in the gut microbiome have been associated with inflammation and chronic diseases ranging from gastrointestinal inflammatory and metabolic conditions to neurological, cardiovascular, and respiratory illnesses. Through this collaboration, Viome and GSK will examine the connection between the gut microbiome and specific chronic disorders by performing a clinical validation trial. The overall objective of the collaboration aims to advance viable health interventions for the many diseases that continue to threaten individuals, families, and communities around the world.
“A better understanding of the interactions between the immune system and microbiome – which have been shown to have a significant impact on human health – has been part of GSK’s innovation strategy,” said Rino Rappuoli, Head of R&D Vaccines, GSK. “By combining our robust expertise in immunology with Viome’s unique technology with its proprietary mRNA analysis and artificial intelligence platform, we look forward to uncovering additional key insights into chronic diseases.”
Through this partnership, GSK and Viome will continue to examine chronic diseases that are without treatment and will work to develop much-needed new targets for potential interventions. GSK and Viome understand the potential of the gut microbiome to influence an individual’s immune system and determine the effectiveness of health interventions and will tap into Viome’s extensive research and findings as well as GSK’s expertise to accomplish this. Viome is committed to creating a world where chronic diseases could truly be prevented before they cause significant problems.