Trust Your Gut

On the bravest frontier in human health, scientists are using bacteria from the digestive system to create novel medicines for a range of ailments. The result could be blockbuster drugs that transform lives—and deliver massive returns for early investors.

ON THE BRAVEST FRONTIER IN HUMAN HEALTH, SCIENTISTS ARE USING BACTERIA FROM THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM TO CREATE NOVEL MEDICINES FOR A HUGE RANGE OF AILMENTS INCLUDING PARKINSON’S, CANCER AND AUTISM. GATES, BENIOFF AND ZUCKERBERG ARE TRUE BELIEVERS, AND THE RESULT COULD BE BLOCKBUSTER DRUGS THAT TRANSFORM LIVES—AND DELIVER MASSIVE RETURNS FOR EARLY INVESTORS.

Fecal Forest Finch Therapeutics cofounder Mark Smith at Finch’s Somerville, Massachusetts, offices. “It’s only in the past 15 years that we’ve come to understand the incredible diversity of the microbiome. It’s almost like a rainforest inside our bodies. There are 100 times more bacterial genes than human genes.”