Micronoma

01 / WHAT IT BUILT

What the company did

Micronoma was a San Diego-based biotech startup founded in 2019 by UC San Diego microbiome researchers Rob Knight and Greg Poore, led by CEO Sandrine Miller-Montgomery. It was built on the hypothesis that microbial signatures colonizing tumors could power a blood test for cancer detection - based on a high-profile 2020 Nature paper suggesting tumor microbes create such specific signatures they could identify cancer types with near-100% accuracy. The company's Oncobiota platform aimed to read cancer-specific cell-free microbial DNA signatures from minimally invasive blood samples, initially targeting lung cancer nodules found on CT scans. Micronoma raised an estimated $17.5 million from investors including SymBiosis Capital Management and the Seerave Foundation, and received an FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its lung cancer test. In June 2024, Nature retracted the 2020 study over 'concerns about the robustness of specific microbial signatures reported as associated with cancer', undermining the paper that served as part of the company's scientific groundwork. No dated shutdown announcement for the company was found.

03 / EVENT HISTORY

Events in the structured record

1. 2019
   Founded

   UCSD researchers Rob Knight and Greg Poore co-founded Micronoma in San Diego to develop microbiome-based cancer blood tests; the company raised $17.5 million and began a seed round.

2. 2023
   Under fire

   Researchers published a preprint describing 'fatal errors' in the 2020 Nature paper underpinning Micronoma's thesis; the company received FDA Breakthrough Device designation for its lung cancer test.

3. 2024
   Retraction

   Nature retracted the 2020 study on June 26, 2024 over concerns about the robustness of the reported microbial signatures. No dated company shutdown announcement was found.