[ipaddr]

Focusing on oral seems like a strange strategy.

Ubiome offered 5 kinds of tests including oral. The vast majority of test purchases were poop related.

What size of a market do you envision? Are you trying to grow to ubiome's level or stay niche?

[shivampatel9]

Oral diseases like cavities and gum disease are some of the most prevalent in the world and are largely preventable if detected early enough. Current tools like x-rays and observational screenings only detect symptoms once they have manifested. We can use genomics and the oral microbiome to realize earlier detection and ultimately, reduce disease progression.

There is a large portion of the population that actively avoids dental visits out of inconvenience or fear/anxiety (60-80MM). We provide a non-invasive, low-cost way for these individuals to understand the status of their oral health from the convenience of their home.

[david_l_lin]

Regarding the oral focus: Our core technology is based around the oral microbiome for a number of key reasons.

1. decades of research have shown causal relationships between the oral microbiome and preventable gum disease. 2. the oral microbiome is much lower in diversity than the fecal microbiome, granting the opportunity for the development of relatively low-cost diagnostics that leverage the microbiome. 3. new and exciting studies have shown correlations between the oral microbiome and a number of systemic health indications, which we hope to continue to uncover with our platform.