Innovation Seekers

Dr. Eva Berkes, an immunologist and allergist, and her husband, Dr. Nicholas Monsul, a plastic surgeon, have spent nearly $1 million on a tantalizing, yet unproven biotechnology business concept: That there's a better way for physicians to treat thousands, if not millions, of infections.

Their theory begins by analyzing the human microbiome — a vast collection of microbes found all over a human body, from the mouth to toes. The microbes grow into biofilm, a group of microorganisms that, over time, can become immune to traditional antibiotics — a dilemma many doctors, and patients, struggle with.

But Berkes and Monsul decided there must be a way to flip the biofilm into a medicine that treats the infections better than antibiotics. In other words, according to Berkes, “being exposed to the right germs, at the right time, could be good for your immune system.”