The University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) Center for Microbiome Innovation (CMI) is proud to announce eCyte, Inc., a leader in single-cell metabolic phenotyping, as a new industry partner. This partnership will empower CMI researchers with a novel tool for profiling microbiome metabolic function at single-cell resolution, and for mining microbial resources for industrial and clinical applications.
Founded with a vision to integrate Raman spectroscopy, microfluidics, and AI-powered data analysis, eCyte, Inc. has pioneered instruments capable of fast, label-free, and non-destructive metabolic phenotyping using single-cell Raman spectroscopy (SCRS). Target functional cells can be precisely sorted for downstream analyses, including single-cell sequencing and cultivation.
As part of the partnership, eCyte plans to install a Raman-Activated Microfluidic Sorter (RAMS) in the CMI collaboratory at Franklin Antonio Hall. The instrument enables multimodal (Raman + morphology) phenotypic profiling and sorting of a variety of microorganisms, supporting rapid functional analysis of complex microbial communities. The RAMS installation will also establish a demonstration site for the in situ Metabolic Atlas Project @ Single-cell (iMAPS) international consortium at UC San Diego, helping solidify the university as a key contributor to the consortium.
“eCyte’s technology platform is uniquely positioned for label-free functional profiling of microorganisms within complex populations, a prominent challenge in microbiome research,” said Andrew Bartko, Ph.D., Executive Director of CMI. “Our partnership strengthens CMI’s mission to discover and isolate functional microbes for the benefit of human health and the environment.”
“Joining the Center for Microbiome Innovation aligns well with eCyte’s commitment to expanding the applications of single-cell Raman spectroscopy in functional studies of complex biological systems,” said Ethan Yin, General Manager of eCyte, Inc. “We look forward to supporting UC San Diego faculty, students, and researchers in their efforts to accelerate microbiome research.”
About the Center for Microbiome Innovation
The UC San Diego Center for Microbiome Innovation accelerates microbiome research and innovation through interdisciplinary collaborations with industry partners. CMI brings together expertise in microbiome sampling, multi-omics technologies, computational biology, and translational science to advance understanding of microbial communities and apply discoveries to human health, agriculture, environmental sustainability, and beyond.
