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BIOME9, a precision pet wellness brand, hosted Ignacio Terán, a UEA based MMB student, on his 12-week professional placement. His project focused on the integrative analysis of the healthy canine gut microbiome for applications in both veterinary medicine and pet nutrition.
Ignacio wanted to gain more industry experience from his placement while also looking to develop his skills in bioinformatics.
With its focus on advancing canine health through innovative microbiome science, BIOME9 provided an ideal environment for Ignacio to learn about the topic and contribute to meaningful research.
During his placement, Ignacio’s main responsibilities included curating and analysing metadata and DNA sequencing results from dog faecal samples. He strengthened his R skills, particularly in analysing canine microbiome data using phyloseq. Ignacio also went on to present his research findings not only to scientists but to the wider parent company (Pooch & Mutt), demonstrating significant growth in both scientific communication and cross-functional understanding.
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Ignacio also represented BIOME9 at key veterinary industry events, including the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA) Conference and the London Vet Show. Here, he was able to explain the science behind BIOME9 to promote the company’s services and dealt with queries from both technical and lay potential customers. Engaging with veterinary professionals at those events also gave him valuable insight into the challenges they face and how tools such as next-generation sequencing and metagenomics can support the diagnosis of complex cases.
One highlight of the placement for Ignacio was the chance to improve his bioinformatics skills and explore the study of canine microbiome. He found it fascinating to see how this type of research is used in the development of products that have a direct and positive impact on the health of our pets.
Bushra Schuitemaker, Ignacio’s supervisor at BIOME9 and former NRPDTP PhD student, understands the importance of placements and how valuable it can be to experience something different and so promoted this opportunity for PhD researchers interested in applying microbiome sciences in the DTP Placement Newsletter.
She said: “Ignacio’s background in more traditional molecular biology and microbiology is very different to our metagenomics and bioinformatics-led workflows which meant he contributed fresh approaches and ways of thinking. Plus, he was an excellent fit for our organisation because he shares our core values, particularly a passion for animal health, dogs, and the One Health One Medicine framework that underpins BIOME9’s mission. His placement focused on analytical work, and several aspects of his research will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. His placement has strengthened our science, broadened our technical capacity, and aligned strongly with our ethos.“
Reflecting on his experience, Ignacio offered this advice to other students organising their placements: “When choosing an organisation, look closely at the company’s mission. It’s great to try new things, but I didn’t want to risk being somewhere that didn’t inspire me. If you’re doing something you truly enjoy, time flies.”