Microba to work with leading researchers to expand our access to the human microbiome funded by the Medical Research Future Fund

Microba Life Sciences (ASX: MAP) is pleased to announce a new collaboration with researchers from QUT’s Centre for Microbiome Research (CMR) to isolate thousands of previously uncultured microorganisms from the human body.

The human microbiome represents a rich biological resource, but our ability to isolate, grow and characterise most microorganisms in the laboratory remains limited. This is a major obstacle in microbiome research, as culturing individual species is critical for dissecting microbial mechanisms underpinning human health and disease.

In a project funded by the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF), the team will overcome this obstacle by building Australia’s first atmosphere-controlled, high-throughput cultivation platform, which integrates novel methods in spectral flow cytometry and metagenomics. This innovative approach will be applied to a diverse range of microbial communities throughout the human body, including the gut, skin, vaginal and oral microbiome, resulting in the world’s most comprehensive biobank of its kind – the Australian Human Microbiome Biobank (AHMB).

Establishment of the platform will be led by CMR Director Professor Gene Tyson from QUT, and human microbiome samples will be analysed using Microba’s world-leading metagenomic technology to identify species of interest for targeted research.

Microba’s Professor Trent Munro, Dr Paraic Ó Cuív and Dr Nicola Angel are also investigators on the project, where they will be uniquely positioned to identify new research and development opportunities for the company and our research partners. 

Professor Tyson said, “We expect this biobank to not only help expedite the research of our commercial partners but to facilitate numerous opportunities for researchers studying the human microbiome in Australia and worldwide.”

Professor Munro added, “The establishment of the AHMB represents an enormous opportunity for Microba, providing a valuable resource to advance our therapeutic programs in inflammatory bowel disease, immuno-oncology and autoimmune diseases, and future potential programs.”