Next we wanted to create SynComs that allow mechanistic studies of a disease, so we chose IBD. By comparing healthy and IBD metaGs we selected a SynCom for each. In germ-free mice we showed the IBD SynCom caused increased inflammation. 6/7

Using MiMiC2 we were able to create SynComs for a range of ecosystems, including the rumen of cows! We wondered our function-based approach would select a methanogen, since they are sub-dominant, but critical members. It did, along with diverse other members! 5/7

This comparison is done against ALL input metaGs, not a single metaG, allowing the SynComs to capture the variability within an ecosystem. Strains are also selected together, reducing functional redundancy between each other. 4/7

MiMiC2 addresses this by reducing both metaGs and isolate genomes down to the protein families they encode. Next, we can select strains that functional match our metaGs of interest. 3/7