bitBiome, Inc. (Representative Director: Yoshihito Daimon, “bitBiome”) and National Cancer Center of Japan (President: Hitoshi Nakagama, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, “NCC”) have signed a collaborative research agreement on the analysis of gut bacteria related to cancer on November 22nd, 2019.
bitBiome and NCC have agreed to collaborate in an incidental study in the third phase of SCRUM-Japan, MONSTAR-SCREEN, which will apply shotgun metagenome and single-cell whole-genome analyses of the gut microbiome in a sample of patients who participated in the project.
In particular, bitBiome’s unique single-cell analytical platform (bit-MAP™) will be used to provide unprecedented insights into the relationship between cancer and the gut microbiome. It is expected that bitBiome’s technology will enable the identification of new types of important bacteria that could not be achieved before, in addition to strain-level differences in clinical outcomes and metabolic function.
Used in addition to oncogene analysis in blood samples (liquid biopsy) and conventional 16S rRNA metagenome analysis of the gut microbiome, bit-MAP™ will make it possible to understand the relationship between cancers caused by various somatic gene mutations and particular species in the gut microbiome.
Furthermore, the combination of bit-MAP™ analysis with clinical information such as treatment progress of patients will be used to elucidate biomarkers related to both therapeutic and adverse effects of immunotherapy and other drug treatments, and is expected to accelerate the development of new treatments.
【About the third phase of SCRUM-Japan, MONSTAR-SCREEN】
NCC began research in Phase 3 of Japan’s first industry-academia collaborative cancer genome screening project, SCRUM-Japan (project representative: Director of NCC East Hospital Atsushi Ohtsu), targeting a wide range of solid cancers.
In the research project MONSTAR-SCREEN (Max Onco-Network with STARS-SCREEN), for patients with a wide range of solid cancers except lung cancer, the effects and side effects of various drug treatments are analyzed through oncogene analysis using blood samples (liquid biopsy) and gut microbiome analysis (16S rRNA metagenome). The project aims to identify related biomarkers and develop new therapies.
【About bitBiome, Inc.】
bitBiome is a start-up company from Waseda University, founded in 2018.
Using the genome analysis technology bit-MAP™ developed by bitBiome, we provide the world’s only single cell genome analysis service for microorganisms.
This technology makes it possible to accurately decode the genomic information of microorganisms inhabiting any environment from just one cell. In particular, bit-MAP™ makes it possible to quickly and comprehensively acquire genomes of unknown microbes without the need for complicated, time-consuming isolation and culture required in conventional microbiome research, or the processing of complicated sequence data. Providing this technology as a next-generation microbiome analysis service, bitBiome is performing comprehensive ecosystem analyses of various microorganisms and detailed analyses of individual microorganisms, such as gut bacteria related to human diseases and soil bacteria related to plant growth and soil environment.
For more details, please visit https://www.bitbiome.co.jp/en/
【Contact information】
bitBiome, Inc.
TEL: 03-6205-5662
E-mail: info@bitbiome.co.jp