Glow ups, gum disease, and going to space
Hello,
Welcome to the newcomers, the loyal supporters, and those who accidentally ended up here.
Running a company that studies something as dynamic as the oral microbiome is a bit like trying to hit a moving target. New research is published every week. One minute everyone is talking about a new biomarker, the next it's a brand-new oral-systemic link.
Science never stands still and thankfully, nor does our team.
If you're anything like me, you'll find yourself reading research papers in questionable places. At the nail salon. In the airport security queue. So we thought we'd make life easier.
Each month we'll share what we're reading, what we're excited about, and what we're keeping a close eye on, so you don't have to spend your evenings glued to PubMed.
We'll do the nerdy bit for you.
ORALIS 1 had a glow up
A little shameless self-promotion to start.
Over the past few months, we've completely revamped ORALIS 1. We reanalysed our data, refined our algorithms, and asked ourselves a simple question:
What actually matters?
Like many people in microbiome science, we believed diversity was king. More diversity = healthier microbiome. Simple.
Except when we compared over 600 ORALIS 1 results against real clinical findings, things weren't quite that simple.
What we found was that diversity alone wasn't a reliable predictor of health or disease.
What mattered was everything together.
The bacteria present. The bacteria absent. The strains. The virulence factors. How your immune system responds. Your genetics. Your age. Your medical history.
In other words, a true multi-omics approach.
You can't judge a cake by one ingredient, so why do we keep trying to understand health by looking at a few bacteria alone?
The result is a completely redesigned report with new risk models and new markers of health. Forget microbiome diversity, think oral risk disease score.
The oral microbiome, ageing brains and why your gums matter more than you think
We've suspected for years that there was a connection between oral health and cognitive decline. Now the evidence is getting harder to ignore.
A new study published this April in The Lancet examined more than 1,100 participants using periodontal assessments, oral microbiome profiling and cognitive testing.
What did they find?
The researchers found that certain oral bacteria and bacterial "communities" appeared to partially explain the relationship between gum health and cognition.
In particular, nitrate-reducing bacteria such as Haemophilus were linked with better cognitive performance, while a more inflammatory, Treponema-driven microbial pattern was linked with worse cognitive performance.
Why does this matter?
Nitrate-reducing bacteria help support nitric oxide production, which is important for blood flow, vascular health and brain function.
On the other side, periodontal pathogens can contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation, which may play a role in neuroinflammation and cognitive decline.
While brushing, flossing and seeing your hygienist may not sound as glamorous as the latest longevity biohack, but your gums might be doing more for your brain than we previously realised.
The challenge is that both gum disease and cognitive decline are often silent. By the time symptoms become obvious, significant damage may already have occurred.
The good news? Oral health is modifiable.
You can't change your genes, but you can absolutely change their environment.
ORALIS 1 goes to space
One of the most exciting projects we've ever been involved with has officially begun.
This month we received the first saliva samples from the LunAres space mission.
The study is investigating what happens to the systemic-oral-microbiota-brain axis (SOMBA) during a simulated space mission. Participants live in isolation and confinement while researchers assess the impact of stress, disrupted sleep, artificial lighting, altered routines and other spaceflight-related conditions.
Why does this matter?
Previous studies have already shown that human microbiomes change during space travel. The question is whether those changes are linked to inflammation, immunity, mood, cognition, sleep quality and overall performance.
Using ORALIS 1, we'll be able to track how the oral microbiome changes throughout the mission and whether specific microbial patterns are associated with resilience or physiological stress.
Ultimately, this research could help us identify non-invasive biomarkers for monitoring astronaut health during future missions.
And perhaps more importantly, teach us a great deal about human health here on Earth too.
Until next month,