Center for Genomic AI and Microbiome Medicine

The Center for Genomic AI and Microbiome Medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is dedicated to advancing personalized medicine through the integration of human genetics and microbiome research. Established within the Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, the Center leverages Mount Sinai’s world-renowned expertise in genomics and systems biology to develop precision disease diagnoses and personalized interventions. Directed by Gang Fang, PhD, the Center focuses on translating cutting-edge research into actionable health care solutions that enhance patient outcomes.

Human genetics play an important role in precision medicine. However, we must also account for the complexity of the gut microbiome: this vibrant community of bacteria does far more than digest food—it constantly communicates with our immune system and influences biology across the body, including metabolism, inflammation, and brain health. Understanding how our genetics interact with our gut microbiomes offers a significant opportunity to tailor medical treatments more effectively to meet individual needs.

Our vision is to transform precision medicine by building an AI-driven, high-resolution map of how human genetics and the gut microbiome jointly shape health and disease. Powered by Mount Sinai’s cutting-edge long-read genomic technologies, we will generate deeply resolved profiles of human genomes and microbiomes—capturing variation that conventional approaches miss. We will integrate these data using advanced AI to predict disease trajectory and drug response, uncover actionable biological mechanisms, and translate discoveries into personalized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

The Center will initially focus on neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, along with cancer, in close collaboration with our world-class disease experts.

Impact on Health Care

The work of the Center is set to make transformative contributions to health care.

Predict drug responses: We develop Genomic AI models that integrate high-resolution human genetic variation and microbiome features to predict treatment response and disease trajectory. This enables more informed treatment selection, better patient stratification, and reduced trial-and-error in therapy decisions.
Enhance treatment response: Beyond prediction, we aim to improve outcomes by identifying actionable microbiome factors that modulate drug metabolism, immune response, inflammation, and toxicity. By defining microbiome mechanisms and targets, we design strategies to enhance patient’s drug responses.
Enable disease prevention: We build integrated risk models to identify individuals at increased risk earlier, before irreversible damage occurs. This supports proactive monitoring and timely interventions that can prevent disease onset, delay progression, and promote long-term health.

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MEET THE DIRECTOR

Gang Fang, PhD

PROFESSOR | Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Fang is internationally recognized for his innovative approaches to studying the human genome and microbiome. His laboratory has over 14 years of expertise in the use of long-read sequencing technology to explore the human microbiome and epigenome. The lab’s pioneering work has significantly advanced our understanding of how complex genetic interactions influence health and disease states.

Meet Our Team

EDWARD A MEAD

Assistant Director, Human Long-read Genomics

MI NI

Assistant Director, Microbiome Multi-Omics

YU FAN

Assistant Director, Human Microbiome Integration

Alzheimer’s Disease Faculty

Alison M Goate, DPhil

Professor & Chair, Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Panagiotis Roussos, MD, MS, PhD

Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Priti Balchandani, PhD

Professor, Diagnostic, Molecular and Interventional Radiology

Bin Zhang, PhD

Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Parkinson’s Disease Faculty

Susan Bressman, MD

Professor, Neurology

Rachel Saunders-Pullman, MD, MPH, MS

Professor, Neurology

Zhenyu Yue, PhD

PROFESSOR | Neurology

PROFESSOR | Neuroscience

Inga Peter, PhD

Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences

Cancer Faculty

Deirdre Cohen, MD

Associate Professor, Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology

Ketan K Badani, MD

Professor, Urology

Raymund L Yong, MD

Associate Professor, Neurosurgery

A New Era in Precision Medicine

Meet Some of Our Faculty Collaborators

Alison M Goate, DPhil

Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor and Chair of Genomics

“To date, precision medicine has focused on the genetic factors of individual patients, but not the microbes in their gut. This new center puts us at a turning point where genomics and AI can integrate human and microbiome factors together to make accurate predictions, enabling a broad approach to many diseases.”

Alison M Goate, DPhil

Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor and Chair of Genomics

Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Neurology

“As a scientist who sees patients, I’m keen to focus on questions that can ultimately lead to interventions. Understanding how the gut microbiome relates to neurodegenerative diseases—using the tools the Center will spearhead—may help us decode this complex ecosystem and learn how to modify them.”

Alison M Goate, DPhil

Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor and Chair of Genomics

Fanny Elahi, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Neurology

Deirdre J Cohen, MD, MS

Associate Professor, Medicine (Hematology and Medical Oncology)

"As a clinical researcher caring for patients with GI cancers, I’m focused on questions that can truly change what we do in the clinic. We’ve learned a great deal from tumor genetics, but the gut microbiome is another critical piece of the puzzle. The Center for Genomic AI and Microbiome Medicine gives us the ability to bring microbial data, human genomics, and AI together in one place. When we connect those dots, we can find clearer signals for early detection, better predict how patients will respond to therapy, and move closer to genuinely personalized care."