The groundbreaking research project Polish Microbiome Map (Mapa Mikrobiomu Polaka), developed by a consortium led by the Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IChB PAN) in collaboration with Ardigen, has taken a major step forward. In September 2025, the project’s findings were acquired by Onebiome, a company advancing personalized preventive medicine through gut microbiota characterization.
This marks the first time a microbiome and genomic dataset of this scale – focused on the Polish population – has been transitioned from academic research to commercial application. For Ardigen, it’s a moment that perfectly reflects our mission: turning data into impact.
Building the foundation for translational microbiome research
The Polish Microbiome Map aimed to create a reference dataset of gut microbiota in the Polish population, covering healthy individuals and cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy. This unique resource integrates:
- Microbiological (microbiome) data
- Genomic data
- Phenotypic and clinical data
The resulting dataset is a critical resource for both researchers and commercial entities. It enables a deeper understanding of gut microbiota’s role in health and disease, and supports the development of diagnostics, personalized probiotics, and precision therapies.
With the acquisition by Onebiome, this data will now form the basis of new products and services in areas like microbiome-based diagnostics, biobanking, and long-term gut health monitoring.
Ardigen’s contribution: Technology that translates biology into insights
As the project’s technology partner, Ardigen was responsible for:
- Building the bioinformatics infrastructure for data analysis
- Developing protocols for integrating multi-omics data (microbiome, genetics, phenotype)
- Enabling scalable expansion of the dataset with new sub-cohorts, such as oncology patients
“At Ardigen, we pursue our mission of ‘Code Against Cancer’ every day, and this project is its living embodiment. Our role was not just to catalog information. Our role was to provide technology that transforms this complex biological data into knowledge that, in the hands of Onebiome, will help in the fight for health. This is the essence of our mission: to create solutions that have a real impact on people’s lives.” – comments Dr. Kaja Milanowska-Zabel Ph.D., MBA, Scientific Project Manager at Ardigen.
A commercial milestone for science
The acquisition of the dataset by Onebiome marks a key milestone in the project’s lifecycle; from academic research to market application.
“For us, this is the next life of the Polish Microbiome Map, from scientific discovery to tangible tools that support health and prevention.”
– Prof. Paweł Łabaj, Co-founder and Board Member, Onebiome
With this resource, Onebiome will:
- Refine existing microbiome models to reflect the Polish population
- Develop reference ranges that improve clinical and consumer diagnostics
- Enhance their BioMe Control and BioMe Base products with population-specific recommendations
A milestone for Polish biomedical innovation and why this project matters
The Polish Microbiome Map represents:
- The first population-specific microbiome reference tool for Polish biomedical research
- A critical asset for studying disease-microbiome links
- A foundational dataset for diagnostics, personalized therapies, and probiotic development
“Each of us carries an ecosystem more complex than a rainforest, right in our gut. For the first time, we’ve mapped that ecosystem at the population level. Now, that knowledge is moving from scientific publications to real-world solutions.”
– Prof. Anna Philips, IChB PAN, Project Lead
From lab to life
Funded by Poland’s National Centre for Research and Development (POIR.04.01.02-00-0025/17), the project was a model example of public-private partnership between science, technology, and commercialization:
- Academic partner: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences (IChB PAN)
- Technology partner: Ardigen SA
- Commercial partner: Onebiome Sp. z o.o.
The total value of the project was PLN 6,330,702.84, including PLN 5,594,334.98 in public co-funding.
At Ardigen, we’re proud to have helped lay the technical and analytical groundwork for a project that now becomes a bridge between science and patient-centered innovation. This is what it means to code against cancer, and beyond.
