The Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics (MBIT) was founded in January 2015 with the mission to cultivate a community of interdisciplinary researchers and engineers who will combat microbiome-associated diseases through expanding knowledge of microbiome function and designing research that translates directly to clinical and therapeutic applications. Microbiome research of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) will identify quantitative biomarkers that are predictive of IBD flare-ups and noninvasive such that patient care can be approached as preventative as opposed to interventional therapeutics. Through basic science and development of a clinical trial, we will be able to assess our predictive ability with our monitoring method and further the translational aspect of our study.

When I attended MITES before my senior year of high school, my elective, Genomics, served as a thorough first introduction to the microbiome and its importance in our standard of living. As a SuperUROP, I am excited by the opportunities to explore the interdisciplinary aspects of microbiome research, understand the scope of bioengineering, and develop new skills required for success in clinically-related research fields.