Second Genome is a venture capital funded, life sciences research company based in

South San Francisco South San Francisco is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area. The city is colloquially termed "South City". The population was 66,105 at the 2020 census. History P ...

. The company's focus is on the development and exploitation of a research platform which facilitates the identification and elucidation of relationships between human physiology and the

human microbiota Human microbiota are microorganisms (bacteria, viruses, fungi and archaea) found in a specific environment. They can be found in the stomach, intestines, skin, genitals and other parts of the body. Various body parts have diverse microorganisms. S ...

, and it has a long term goal of becoming a drug development company. The name "second genome" comes from the notion that humans have, effectively, two genomes: the native human genome, and the more diverse set of genomes carried by the human microbiota. The company's first foray into drug development was a

small molecule In molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Many drugs are small molecules; ...

treatment for

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is one of the two types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), with the other type being Crohn's disease. It is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary sympto ...

(SGM-1019).Searches in clinicaltrials.gov on 3 August 2017 did not reveal information about trials sponsored by Second Genome or using the therapeutic SGM-1019.Timmerman 2016 refers to indication being ulcerative colitis; Lash 2015 refers to indication being Crohn's disease. The mechanism of SGM-1019 has not been disclosed in detail. Key to the company's business model has been partnerships with large established pharmaceutical companies, including

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...

and Janssen. Potential competitors to Second Genome include Kaleido Biosciences, Synlogic, Kallyope, Seres Therapeutics, OpenBiome, Rebiotix, Evelo Therapeutics, and Vedanta Biosciences. Second Genome was founded in 2010 by Corey Goodman, a venture capitalist and former Pfizer executive, and Todd DeSantis, the company's vice president for informatics as of 2019. As of 2013, the company had entered into an

research agreement with Janssen, the financial arrangement and outcome of which remains to be determined. The company had a headcount of 18 employees which had increased to 25 by 2016. Startup financing was obtained through a

Series A round A series A is the name typically given to a company's first significant round of venture capital financing. It can be followed by the word round, investment or financing. The name refers to the class of preferred stock sold to investors in excha ...

which raised US$11.5 million. A

Series B round A venture round is a type of funding round used for venture capital financing, by which startup companies obtain investment, generally from venture capitalists and other institutional investors. The availability of venture funding is among the p ...

of funding raised US$42.6 million in 2016. By 2016, the company had established a

DNA sequencing DNA sequencing is the process of determining the nucleic acid sequence – the order of nucleotides in DNA. It includes any method or technology that is used to determine the order of the four bases: adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine. The ...

service aimed at microbial samples, which provided revenue to supplement venture capital infusions. As of 2019, the company had secured a two-year

SBIR The Small Business Innovation Research (or SBIR) program is a U.S. government funding program, coordinated by the Small Business Administration, intended to help certain small businesses conduct research and development (R&D). Funding takes the fo ...

grant in collaboration with

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctor ...

, aimed at studying microbiome

metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, c ...

s from people with nervous system disorders, in particular

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

. , the company's

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

was Peter DiLaura.

Notes

References

External links

* Corporate Website: 2010 establishments in California Companies based in South San Francisco, California {{US-company-stub