Human microbiology is the study of how tiny, complex microorganisms which live in and on our bodies shape a dizzying array of health outcomes, from obesity to mental health.
It is one of the most complex and data-rich fields in biology, yet it remains notoriously poorly understood.
This blind spot has serious consequences. Interventions aimed at treating disease and enhancing health consistently fall short of their potential because R&D teams lack the tools to properly understand the trillions of microbes residing in and on us.
Outpost Bio are working to change this. By moving beyond human-centric data sets, their models capture the nuances of the complex microbial interactions that govern our health. Critically, Outpost’s models are causal, not merely correlative, identifying the mechanisms behind microbial influence, rather than surface-level associations.
To achieve this level of detail, Outpost Bio have taken a Lab-in-the-Loop approach. This pairs novel wet lab science with powerful machine learning, creating a feedback loop in which AI models learn from physical experiments, while generating proprietary, human-derived functional data at scale.
This data has limitless scientific and commercial applications: from helping pharma partners de-risk clinical development to allowing consumer companies to test how prebiotics or botanicals added to their products will impact microbial communities.
Outpost Bio is led by Dr. Jenny Yang, an Oxford PhD and former Marie Curie Fellow with a background in clinical machine learning, and Alex Merwin, Co-Founder and COO, former Head of Growth for Health & Bio Startups at AWS.
“We’re building the most comprehensive dataset in human microbiology,” said Dr. Jenny Yang, Co-Founder and CEO of Outpost Bio.
“Microbial communities can dramatically alter drugs and other interventions, yet this layer has been largely ignored because the data hasn’t existed at scale. For the first time, we can move beyond correlations to reveal causal pathways.”
"We're building the most comprehensive dataset in human microbiology."Dr. Jenny Yang ~ Outpost Bio
The founding team includes Dr. Heidi Arjes (VP of R&D, 20 years in microbiology across academia and industry), Dr. Saif Ur-Rehman (Director of Data Engineering, first engineering hire at Basecamp Research), and Dr. Neythen Treloar (Principal ML Scientist, expertise in microbial foundation models). Advisors include Anna Marie Wagner (former Head of AI, Ginkgo Bioworks), Dr. Steven Jones (Scientific Director, Genome Sciences Centre), and Dr. Brad Ringeisen (former Director, DARPA Biological Technologies Office).
“This is a rare team that combines deep microbiology, machine learning, and company-building experience,” said Tom Wilson, Partner at Seedcamp.
“Jenny, Alex, and the founding team have both the scientific rigour and operational insight required to build a new layer of biological infrastructure.”
"This is a rare team that combines deep microbiology, machine learning, and company-building experience."Tom Wilson ~ Seedcamp
“What took decades to build for earlier biological models can now be achieved in years,” said Adrian Locher, Co-Founder and General Partner at Merantix Capital. “Faster wet-lab data generation, lower sequencing costs, and more powerful machine learning make this the right moment to build predictive models of the microbes that live within and on us.”
The funding will accelerate Outpost Bio’s experimental and modeling platforms, unlocking new ways to design drugs, ingredients, and consumer health products.
You can check out open roles at Outpost Bio here.