Advances in Infant Microbiome Medicine

A Conversation with Stephanie Culler,
Co-Founder & CEO of Persephone Biosciences
Caltech PhD '09

Wednesday, December 3, 2025, 6:00 - 7:30 pm PT
via Zoom

The old adage "you are what you eat" has never been more true. Poor gut health has been linked to a wide range of chronic diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and neurological diseases, autoimmune conditions and even anxiety and depression. And it could all start in infancy.

Please join the MIT Club of San Diego and the Caltech Alumni Association as we welcome Stephanie Culler, co-founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences and Caltech PhD '09, who will tell us about her company's My Baby Biome project, the largest and most diverse US infant biome study to date. This research discovered that only 24% of the babies in the study had all of the key bacteria that are associated with a healthy microbiome. Gut bacteria deficiencies can lead to a greater risk of developing asthma, allergies and eczema later in life.

This research has led to the development of the first pre-biotic and pro-biotic supplements for infants and toddlers, which Persephone is currently launching. And to support this product launch, Persephone is also in the midst of raising a round of funding.

Along with sharing Persephone's research, Stephanie will be giving us details on both the product launch and the fund raising round.

So please join us to hear about fascinating medical research relevant to you (not just babies), an exciting new product launch and a compelling investment opportunity.

Registration is free. The Zoom link will be sent to all registrants a few days before the meeting.

About our speaker

Stephanie Culler, Ph.D., is the co-founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences Inc., a biotechnology company reimagining patient health through the development of microbiome-based medicines. Her microbiome interests span applications ranging from infant health to oncology and food as medicine. She has shared her work at TEDx San Diego, has been published in Science Magazine, and is a scientific pioneer in the field of synthetic biology. Stephanie holds a Ph.D. from the California Institute of Technology and has authored over twenty publications and patents on synthetic biology and microbial-based technologies.

 

For more details and to register for this virtual event, go to https://alumcommunity.mit.edu/topics/23424/events/149758