Invivo provides diagnostic testing services that analyze the microbiome, host immune status, and genomic data.

Humphrey Bacchus joins the podcast to discuss the following:

• Why it's important to understand the ways in which the internal microbiome is reflective of or correlated with the wider environment and ecosystems in which we live (e.g. soil, weather systems)
• What is unique about the approach being taken at Invivo, which includes a look at two microbiome types on which little commercial work has been done
• How the widely varying data sets in the field of microbiome research require clinicians to be well-read, well-versed, and well-supported to tease out the pertinent information and use it to the benefit of patients on an individual basis
• How vaginal microbiomes could affect or be related to female infertility, miscarriage, and preterm birth

About 10 years ago, Humphrey Bacchus joined Invivo, which at the time was just starting out in the field of microbiome research, testing microbiomes and figuring out how to apply what they were learning to the clinical arena for the benefit of patients. Bacchus quickly came to understand and appreciate the inseparable connection between our internal microbial ecosystems and the ecosystems within which we all live. "If we nurture these microbes rather than treat them as invaders, then we can watch after the wider environment in which we live," says Bacchus.

Ultimately, the focus at Invivo is on trying to help clinicians and patients understand the relationship their bodies have with various microbes in the development of the disease.

While quite a lot of attention is being given to gastrointestinal microbiomes, Bacchus talks about the useful data being derived from a look at vaginal and oral microbiomes. He explains what markers are being looked at in order to evaluate host immune responses, and how necessary it is to understand that microbes do not exist in and of themselves but in relation to and in contact with the host's immune system.

Informed by this view, Bacchus and the team at Invivo aim to continue gathering as much data as possible while keeping in mind the dynamic complexity that cannot be ignored.

To learn more, visit invivohealthcare.com.