Digestive tract diseases like IBS and Crohn’s disease plague 40% of Americans. This statistic is personal for Jordan Moore (PWS ’24) whose brother was diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) while still in high school. The disease impacted his brother by delaying goals important to him like serving a mission or attending college. After joining the genetics, genomics, and biotechnology major at BYU, Moore realized that he could make a difference in his brother’s life. This motivation drives all of Moore’s research and aspirations.
Moore recently developed a potential solution to his brother’s health problems with a diagnostic tool called BioME that identifies types and quantities of bacteria in a person’s digestive tract. BioME uses a blood test to map an individual’s gut microbiome. Other tests, like fecal samples, can only tell what species are present in a person’s system and cover portions of the digestive tract, like the colon. While antibiotics can target certain kinds of bacteria, knowing only the species present limits a physician's range and ability to treat the growths. BioME can inform a professional on how much medication to prescribe to their patients and is poised to change millions of lives.
Moore took BioME to the 2024 Student Innovator of the Year competition and finished in the top seven, winning a $4,000 prize. He credits his mentors at BYU for helping him get so far. “I'm grateful that I have really good mentors who pushed me to work hard on my ideas,” Moore reflected.
"Jordan is phenomenal," enthused Dr. Tim Jenkins, Moore's faculty mentor. "Ever since he joined the lab his curious mind was evident. He has always asked such excellent questions and is always considering ways that the technology can be deployed in different disease states. He is exceptionally talented and will go far."
Moore also won the highly competitive national Barry Goldwater Scholarship thanks to encouragement from a fellow student. “I think it's really cool that there is a community, specifically in Dr. Jenkins’ lab, where there's a student who approached, encouraged, and supported me to go out and to apply for this scholarship,” reflected Moore.
Pursuing metagenomics and biotechnology at BYU has changed how Moore sees his divine potential and ability to serve his family and community. “As a 22-year-old still in the middle of my undergraduate with a pretty big idea of revolutionizing the way we treat gut health, I felt like an imposter,” Moore shared. “To see my efforts validated on a national scale was huge for me. I would tell anybody who wants to pursue great ideas and innovations that you're never an imposter, and you should shoot for the stars.”
Moore is eager to see his innovation utilized to change the lives of those who suffer from significant gut health issues. After graduating in December, he hopes to make BioME a business that will revolutionize the gastrointestinal health industry.