Caltech Together: San Diego

Advances in Infant Microbiome Medicine: A Conversation with Stephanie Culler, Co-Founder and CEO of Persephone Biosciences

This virtual Caltech Together event will take place on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. (PST).

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, including 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 discuss her company’s My Baby Biome project, the largest and most diverse U.S. infant biome study to date. This research found that only 24 percent of the babies in the study had all of the key bacteria 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. To support this launch, Persephone is also in the midst of raising a round of funding. Along with sharing the company’s research, Stephanie will provide details on both the product launch and the fundraising round.

Registration
Click below to sign up. A Zoom link will be emailed prior to the event.