How microbiome testing works

From sample collection to your report — at-home microbiome testing, sequencing-derived and read through method-bounded interpretation.

Behind the scenes — what happens to your sample at the laboratory

01 Collection Sample collected following the kit instructions and returned for processing.
02 Extraction Nucleic acid recovered from the sample material.
03 Library preparation Fragments prepared and indexed so each sample stays traceable.
04 Sequencing Prepared libraries are read on the sequencer.
05 Bioinformatics Reads pass quality control, then taxonomic or functional assignment.
06 Structured output Tables and figures, versioned with the method and pipeline used.

Illustrative overview of the laboratory and analysis path. Stage detail varies by method and sample type.

Your journey, in four steps

Choose

Choose the ecosystem, interpretation package and sequencing method that fit your question. The journey is designed around home collection — no clinic visit. VAMS BIOME is not open for orders yet.
Register

Register your kit with its unique code and complete a short questionnaire that gives your results context.
Collect & return

Collect the appropriate sample at home using the supplied kit and its instructions, then securely return it for processing. Laboratory arrangements are confirmed for each implementation.
Report

When processing is complete, read your digital report: microbial composition and diversity, ATLAS™ scores with confidence indicators, and educational, non-diagnostic interpretation. VAMS BIOME does not publish a turnaround time yet.

Not sure which test fits your question? The short quiz suggests a starting point.