Unmet Medical Need: Vaginal microbiome (VM) imbalances are a risk factor and pathological feature of various reproductive conditions (e.g. pre-eclampsia, preterm birth, and infertility). The most common resulting disease is bacterial vaginosis (BV), an overgrowth of anaerobic pathogens that cause excess malodorous discharge. Typical BV treatments indiscriminately wipe out both pathogens and “healthy” bacteria, potentially leaving patients susceptible to immune system compromises. Probiotics are considered a promising avenue to treat BV, however, they are limited in efficacy

Envisioned Healthcare Product: Existing probiotic supplements are missing a key factor: community-level microbial interactions. The team is developing a diverse, stable cocktail that can be used to treat VM dysbiosis.

Stage of Development: Pre-clinical

Collaborative Research Team: Harris Wang, PhD, Mary Rosser, MD, PhD

Columbia BiomedX and TRx Funding Cycle: 2020-21