The Muscle Mag
First, Biohm’s focus is on creating supplements with the “mycobiome” in mind, a term coined by co-founder Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum, PhD, which emphasizes the importance of fungal organisms to gut health. Few organizations emphasize both bacteria and fungi.
Secondly, Biohm not only sells products but also uses its bioinformatics capabilities to help other organizations develop their formulations.
Part supplier, part data wrangler, Biohm’s unique approach helped the company secure a $7.5 million investment earlier this year to further develop its use of artificial intelligence in identifying markers for different diseases and conditions.
However, according to Afif Ghannoum, the CEO and co-founder, AI is only as good as its data. He emphasizes the importance of bioinformatics in the solutions they offer to other organizations.
Biohm’s data collection involves gathering information from stool samples for microbiome analysis, similar to the DNA process used by company 23andMe. The company’s bioinformatics experts then analyze the data to identify imbalances between bacteria and fungi.
Biohm has access to over 30,000 fungal strains located at Case Western Reserve University, where Mahmoud serves as director of the Center for Medical Mycology. Additionally, the company utilizes metadata from a 50-point questionnaire collected from individuals who submit stool samples.
With its proprietary DataMap platform, Biohm cross-analyzes microbiome datasets and metadata to create microbiome formulations tailored to specific consumer needs.
Biohm partners with various organizations to develop new ingredients and expand probiotics, utilizing smart microbiome data to identify gut dysbiosis.
Although the data collected doesn’t create an exact science for applying formulations, Afif stresses that the process is targeted rather than personalized nutrition, catering to different populations’ microbiome needs.
