Microsoft Genomics ventures into the microbiome with Eagle Genomics

  • 216x216 Eagle logoCambridge technology innovators partner with Microsoft Genomics
  • Microbiomic research into immune disorders and antibiotic resistance
  • First microbiome partnership for Microsoft

 

LONDON -- October 2018 -- The data scientists and developers behind a ground-breaking microbiome data platform, today, announced their partnership with Microsoft Genomics, a Microsoft Azure service dedicated to meeting the computational challenges of the genomics era. This is the first Microsoft partner focused in the microbiome genomics market.

Microbiomics is the study of the microbiome; the ecosystem of good bacteria, fungi and viruses present in virtually all living organisms. The microbiome plays a key role in defending against disease, however the uptake and popularisation of anti-bacterial products, pesticides and antibiotics in the last century has caused widespread microbial imbalance and impairment. This has led to a host of ailments we face today including; immune disorders, mental health problems and antibiotic resistance.

 The partnership of Eagle Genomics and Microsoft Genomics represents a commitment to address these challenges.

Eagle Genomics’ knowledge discovery platform, the e[automateddatascientist], utilizes machine learning and Azure cloud technology to transform data into actionable insights that drive scientific decision making. Enterprise partners are able to use the e[automateddatascientist] to assess a product’s suitability for retail / consumption by assessing, for example, it’s impact on the complex and unique human microbiome. The insight gained from the platform enables quick assessment of a products potential, accelerates market entry and mitigates early risk.

A recent graduate company from the Microsoft ScaleUp program, Eagle Genomics’ extensive expertise in curating, analysing and interpreting life sciences data combined with Microsoft’s best-in-class Azure cloud technology and Cognitive Services provide an AI-augmented platform that is able to meet the significant data challenges associated with microbiome research. The platform will enable enterprise customers to gain new insights in this new frontier of scientific exploration, particularly its application in healthcare, personal care, cosmetics and food.

The e[automateddatascientist] platform is already deployed in global companies including Unilever and GSK; Eagle’s collaboration with Microsoft will enable the solution to be easily scaled at the enterprise level across these customers, and many more.

Anthony Finbow, CEO of Eagle Genomics commented: “We are delighted to partner with Microsoft Healthcare on its Genomics service and look forward to working together to unlock the potential of the microbiome and solve some of the grand challenges of our age. We are seeing strong demand for our knowledge discovery platform amongst enterprise customers in the biotech and pharma, food and personal care industries as they embrace the digital reinvention of Life Sciences R&D. Microsoft Genomics will help tackle the computing and scaling challenges, accelerating the adoption of the technologies and the launch of new products and therapies, heralding a new era in scientific discovery.”

Geralyn Miller, Director of Microsoft Genomics added: “This collaboration with Eagle Genomics presents exciting opportunities to gain meaningful insight from microbiome data, an area of research that, when better understood, promises to have a significant impact on our health and wellbeing. This is in line with Microsoft’s mission to bring the power and scale of the cloud to precision-medicine, spanning the productization of core services and fundamental research.”