Metatranscriptomic Analysis — The Next Frontier in Microbiome Technology is Available Today

May 21, 2018

Metatranscriptomic Analysis — The Next Frontier in Microbiome Technology is Available Today

May 21, 2018

Metatranscriptomic Analysis — The Next Frontier in Microbiome Technology is Available Today

May 21, 2018

Why Viome’s Technology is Superior – Understanding Metatranscriptomic Analysis

Viome’s technology is superior because it captures everything that is happening in the gut microbiome – the key word here is happening. Not only can we identify the teeny tiny viruses, single cell eukaryotes, and elusive prokaryotes that lack a cell nucleus, we can determine the enzymes and other proteins these microbes are producing. This shows us what biochemical pathways are active in all of your gut microbes. Viome follows these pathways, just like trails in a forest, to see where they end up, what stops they make along the way, and whether they end at an amazing view or a dangerous cliff. The pathways are the functions of your microbes – or what they are actually doing in your body. Our technology is capable of seeing such precise detail that we not only see the outcomes of functions, but the process as well. The ability to see every step of a pathway is part of what makes Viome’s technology so powerful.

May 27, 2018

Feel Like Hercules – Hack Your Gut for Optimal Performance

Your gut microbiome is a unique collection of microorganisms that reside in your gastrointestinal tract. These microbes hold powerful sway over your hormones, metabolism, and energy production. This trifecta of influence means your gut microbiome influences the most important elements of your daily performance. From your energy levels, to your motivation, to your mood.

Jun 08, 2018

Why Viome’s Technology is Superior – Understanding Metatranscriptomic Analysis

Viome’s technology is superior because it captures everything that is happening in the gut microbiome – the key word here is happening. Not only can we identify the teeny tiny viruses, single cell eukaryotes, and elusive prokaryotes that lack a cell nucleus, we can determine the enzymes and other proteins these microbes are producing. This shows us what biochemical pathways are active in all of your gut microbes. Viome follows these pathways, just like trails in a forest, to see where they end up, what stops they make along the way, and whether they end at an amazing view or a dangerous cliff. The pathways are the functions of your microbes – or what they are actually doing in your body. Our technology is capable of seeing such precise detail that we not only see the outcomes of functions, but the process as well. The ability to see every step of a pathway is part of what makes Viome’s technology so powerful.

May 27, 2018

Feel Like Hercules – Hack Your Gut for Optimal Performance

Your gut microbiome is a unique collection of microorganisms that reside in your gastrointestinal tract. These microbes hold powerful sway over your hormones, metabolism, and energy production. This trifecta of influence means your gut microbiome influences the most important elements of your daily performance. From your energy levels, to your motivation, to your mood.

Jun 08, 2018

The Secret to a Healthy Gut Microbiome? Diversity, Diversity, Diversity!

We’ve been taught it’s healthy to be completely clean. Wash your hands regularly, take a shower everyday, use Purell whenever possible – do what you can to rid yourself of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. We’ve been taught that we are masters of the environment when we are hygienic – that cleanliness will keep us from getting sick.

Jun 12, 2018

The Secret to a Healthy Gut Microbiome? Diversity, Diversity, Diversity!

We’ve been taught it’s healthy to be completely clean. Wash your hands regularly, take a shower everyday, use Purell whenever possible – do what you can to rid yourself of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. We’ve been taught that we are masters of the environment when we are hygienic – that cleanliness will keep us from getting sick.

Jun 12, 2018

Why Scientists Are Searching the Gut for Cures to All Chronic Diseases

Since the beginning of time, we’ve had a complicated relationship with bacteria. While it’s absolutely everywhere – in and on us – living mostly in harmony, bacteria gains our attention most often when it causes devastating outbreaks. From food recalls caused by various Salmonella strains to the bubonic plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria – history is full of catastrophic stories where bacteria wreaked havoc and caused widespread fear.4 Even today, antibiotic resistant strains like MRSA and CRE (ominously called “nightmare bacteria”), continue to perplex doctors and researchers alike.5 These scary stories have contributed to the widespread belief that “all bacteria is bad.” This dogma has fueled our war against these microorganisms since penicillin was first discovered in 1929. But mounting research suggests that more often than not, bacteria lives not only in harmony with the body, but significantly contributes to our health.

Aug 29, 2018

Gas? Bloating? What to Do for TRUE Digestive Relief When Your Gut Acts Up

Before you reach for that antacid to stop your heartburn, or Gas-X to alleviate your gas and bloating, pause for a second… because you could actually be making matters worse. How could something that stops your discomfort so quickly end up making matters worse? Well, many common remedies for these types of digestive issues don’t address the root cause of the problem, they just temporarily relieve the symptoms. One example is when we take medications like antacids, they reduce the concentration of hydrochloric acid in our stomachs, which can change the entire environment of the gut.

Aug 30, 2018

What's in a Name? Why Are Microbes’ Names Always Changing?

Scientific names are a way for scientists to communicate with each other the most up-to-date information about exactly how a particular organism looks and behaves. Classification systems allow researchers around the world to communicate more effectively and with greater accuracy. But scientific nomenclature is constantly evolving as we learn and discover more.

Aug 27, 2018

Let’s Talk About Depression

It’s estimated that almost 20 million adults in the United States have experienced depression at some point in their life. Although feeling sadness and grief are normal human emotions, experiencing depression can be a life-threatening disorder - including putting your own life at risk. It can feel like living in a tower of solitude, isolated by an overwhelming ocean in a storm with no end in sight. For families, having a loved one suffering from this disease can feel like drowning, without hope in sight for what seems like an impenetrable condition. The economic burden associated with depression each year costs America over 210 billion dollars. That includes lost income at work, to the cost of medication, down to the costs associated with hospital visits. Ultimately, the greatest cost of mental health disorders are the number of lives that are taken each year, too soon.

Aug 19, 2019

Race to 2 Million: Join Us In the Battle Against Chronic Diseases

Viome’s mission has always been to make chronic illness optional – a goal we firmly believe is not only achievable, but within grasp when enough people care to solve the problem. Artificial intelligence requires a massive amount of data in order to identify patterns, especially when you factor in the many different activities that may cause the same disease in different individuals. We’re racing to 2 million gut microbiomes in an effort to unmask the mystery that clouds many chronic diseases including how individualized the activity of one’s gut microbiome truly is. Each month of our Race to 2 Million campaign we focus on a chronic disease and what we’re learning about it in relation to the gut microbiome. For the month of August, we’re zeroing in on depression.

Aug 12, 2019

What's in a Name? Why Are Microbes’ Names Always Changing?

Scientific names are a way for scientists to communicate with each other the most up-to-date information about exactly how a particular organism looks and behaves. Classification systems allow researchers around the world to communicate more effectively and with greater accuracy. But scientific nomenclature is constantly evolving as we learn and discover more.

Aug 27, 2018

How Viome is Redefining the One-Size-Fits-All Health Industry

Like all revolutions, it started small: research began uncovering how individuals following a “healthy” diet experienced a wide variety of results. As time went on, it expanded as other studies unmasked nutritional status or dietary connections to a variety of diseases. Then came the discovery of the gut microbiome and the essential roles of microbes in digestion. This breakthrough shed light on why many diet trends missed the target for countless seeking weight-loss solutions.

Oct 11, 2019

Gut Health and Cancer

Incidences of cancer in America are on the rise, with your probability of being diagnosed in your lifetime greater than 1 in 3 - a statistic supported by the nearly 5,000 people who are diagnosed with some form of cancer each day. Although the number of cancer deaths has slowly been declining over the last 30 years (thanks to advancements in treatment) cancer mortality is still at nearly 40%, a number that is all too high.

Oct 01, 2019

Why Scientists Are Searching the Gut for Cures to All Chronic Diseases

Since the beginning of time, we’ve had a complicated relationship with bacteria. While it’s absolutely everywhere – in and on us – living mostly in harmony, bacteria gains our attention most often when it causes devastating outbreaks. From food recalls caused by various Salmonella strains to the bubonic plague caused by the Yersinia pestis bacteria – history is full of catastrophic stories where bacteria wreaked havoc and caused widespread fear.4 Even today, antibiotic resistant strains like MRSA and CRE (ominously called “nightmare bacteria”), continue to perplex doctors and researchers alike.5 These scary stories have contributed to the widespread belief that “all bacteria is bad.” This dogma has fueled our war against these microorganisms since penicillin was first discovered in 1929. But mounting research suggests that more often than not, bacteria lives not only in harmony with the body, but significantly contributes to our health.

Aug 29, 2018

Celebrating the Greatest Scientific Discoveries of the Last Century

We’re approaching more than just a new year - we are entering a very new decade! The roaring 20’s are back with a vengeance and this time they have a hundred years’ worth of advancements in modern medicine. We thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the greatest scientific discoveries that have happened over the last century and which direction we think science is going in the next decade. In truth, it is nearly impossible to prioritize the best advancement for each decade, but we took our best shot. Take a look at what we picked:

Dec 31, 2019

Gas? Bloating? What to Do for TRUE Digestive Relief When Your Gut Acts Up

Before you reach for that antacid to stop your heartburn, or Gas-X to alleviate your gas and bloating, pause for a second… because you could actually be making matters worse. How could something that stops your discomfort so quickly end up making matters worse? Well, many common remedies for these types of digestive issues don’t address the root cause of the problem, they just temporarily relieve the symptoms. One example is when we take medications like antacids, they reduce the concentration of hydrochloric acid in our stomachs, which can change the entire environment of the gut.

Aug 30, 2018

The Cost in Healthcare No One is Talking About (Hint: It’s You)

The ugly truth about poor health is that it doesn’t just wreak havoc on our bodies - it can also put a significant amount of stress on our finances. The costs associated with poor health can range from an increase in doctor’s visits to expensive prescription drugs, and can even result in extended hospital stays from chronic conditions.

Jan 19, 2020

Cervical Cancer and the Vaginal Microbiome

Our gut microbiome can impact our health in many ways, often affecting our risk for many digestive and metabolic conditions. It seems that a lot of focus is spent on treating or preventing these diseases – and rightly so – but there are many other microbiomes on our body that play a close role in our health.

Feb 17, 2020

Parkinson’s and the Gut Microbiome: A Steady Start to a New Era of Research

Facing a Parkinson’s Disease (PD) diagnosis can be terrifying. This neurodegenerative disease has seen a steady increase over the last century, often with life-changing symptoms. However, efforts to understand the cause of the disease has created a dynamic movement of truly exciting new research.

Feb 19, 2020

TMI on TMAO? How Your Diet Impacts Your Heart Health

Americans have been facing an uphill battle against cardiovascular disease for the last forty years. Every 37 seconds, a person dies from cardiovascular disease in the United States, with nearly 650,000 deaths from heart disease each year. A staggering number – translating to nearly 1 in every 4 deaths that can be attributed to cardiovascular events. Yet, there are many ways people can begin to take control over their heart health today. Scientists have found strong associations that dietary and lifestyle changes can significantly strengthen the heart, lessening the impact of many cardiovascular disease risk factors.

Feb 26, 2020

FACTS ABOUT FADS: 4 Ways Trendy Dieting is Hurting Your Health

So even though we all know the hottest fad diet out there may not be here to stay, why is it that we gravitate towards them anyway? Do we really believe that whatever diet one celebrity follows will work just as well for us? And are these fad diets really helping us in our weight loss journey or could there be a darker side lying just beneath?

Mar 12, 2020

Give Your Gut a Chance: Microorganisms and Your Immune System

Whenever an infectious disease threatens the health of many, the topic of how our immune system operates often arises. Across the board, the human immune response helps to manage a plethora of tasks, the most important of which is fighting pathogens. Properly employing it in times of sickness is an important part of keeping us well. Since a large proportion of our immune system is housed within our gut, the gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in determining when and how well our immune response operates.

Mar 16, 2020