Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Microbiome therapeutics go small molecule

Small-molecule drugs and biologics that alter the microbiome or its interaction with host tissues are poised to change the face of microbiome therapeutics.
  1. Megan Cully
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed  Google Scholar

Second Genome wasn’t always in the business of drug discovery. When the firm launched in 2009 as PhyloTech, its aim was to analyse microbial diversity in air, water and soil samples using DNA microchip technology. But in the subsequent years the field of human microbiomics blossomed, with researchers recognizing that bacteria are not just pathogenic villains but that they can also be health heroes. Second Genome pivoted, its business strategy tracking that of the evolving microbiome landscape.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery 18, 569-572 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41573-019-00122-8

Updates & Corrections

  • Correction 12 July 2019: The name of the company Kaleido Biosciences and the status of drug candidates it is developing have been corrected in Table 1, and the indication for SYN-010 has been corrected to irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. It has also been clarified that Zehna Therapeutics and Emily Balskus at Harvard University are both separately developing CutC inhibitors.

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

  • Assistant Professor

    Tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the Cell and Molecular Physiology Department at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.

    Maywood, Illinois

    Loyola University of Chicago - Cell and Molecular Physiology Department

  • Chief Editor

    We are looking for a Chief Editor to build and manage a team handling content at the interface of the physical and life sciences for the journal.

    London or Berlin - hybrid working model.

    Springer Nature Ltd

  • Junior and Senior Staff Scientists in microfluidics & optics

    Seeking staff scientists with expertise in microfluidics or optics to support development of new technology to combat antimicrobial resistance

    Boston, Massachusetts (US)

    Harvard Medical School Systems Biology Department

  • Postdoctoral Fellow in Biophysics

    Seeking ambitious biophysicists to fight antimicrobial resistance with new technology at the interface of microfluidics and optics

    Boston, Massachusetts (US)

    Harvard Medical School Systems Biology Department

  • Recruitment of Principal Investigators by the School of Life Sciences, Peking University

    The School of Life Sciences at Peking University is actively seeking talents, with an emphasis on bioinformatics/computational biology/AI/RNA biology.

    Beijing (CN)

    School of Life Sciences, Peking University

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links