Platform — Foli Bio
FOLI-SEQ™ PLATFORM

A platform for non-invasive
host gut transcriptomics

Foli-seq™ profiles host RNA from epithelial and immune cells shed into stool, providing a non-invasive window into local gut biology across inflammation, barrier function, tissue injury, repair, and therapeutic response.

6,500+
Samples analyzed
4
Species supported
7
Foli-seq™ Panels
11,000+
Genes in Universal Panel

From ambient stool collection to gut biology readout

01
Ambient Stool Collection
Foli Bio’s optimized stabilization workflow supports ambient stool collection and shipping while preserving host RNA signals for downstream Foli-seq™ profiling.
02
Host RNA Preservation & QC
Stool samples are processed through optimized workflows that assess host RNA quality and signal recovery before sequencing.
03
Host RNA Enrichment
Foli-seq™ enriches host-derived RNA from exfoliated intestinal cells while reducing non-host background from dietary, bacterial, and fungal sources.
04
Targeted Foli-seq™ Profiling
Tiered Foli-seq™ panels profile curated host gene programs linked to inflammation, barrier function, immune activity, tissue injury, repair, and therapeutic response.
05
Host Gut Biology Insight
Foli-seq™ turns stool-derived host RNA signals into molecular readouts of local gut biology, disease state, treatment response, and host signatures.

Why fecal RNA captures mucosal biology better than blood

Intestinal Biopsy · Mucosal Structure
Host RNA
from exfoliated cells
Local signal
from gut mucosa
Transcriptomic
functional molecular readout
Core Biology
A local transcriptomic readout of the gut mucosa.

The intestinal mucosa continuously sheds epithelial and immune cells into stool. These exfoliated host cells carry RNA signatures that reflect local tissue programs, including inflammation, barrier function, epithelial state, injury, repair, and treatment response. Foli-seq™ captures this stool-derived host RNA to provide a non-invasive transcriptomic readout of host gut biology.

TNF · CXCL8 · IL1B
Inflammatory signaling and immune cell recruitment
Inflammation
MUC2 · FCGBP · TFF3
Goblet cell activity & mucosal barrier integrity
Barrier & Mucus Function
CEACAM5 · REG4 · CLDN2
Host signatures linked to remodeling and disease activity
Disease-associated
Peer-reviewed foundation

Built on work from our founding team

Foli-seq™ is built on peer-reviewed work demonstrating that stool-derived host RNA can capture transcriptomic signals from exfoliated intestinal cells and provide a non-invasive readout of gut mucosal biology.

Fecal exfoliome sequencing captures immune dynamics of the healthy and inflamed gut

Published in Nature Biotechnology 2025

This study established the scientific foundation for profiling host RNA from exfoliated intestinal cells in stool, supporting non-invasive measurement of mucosal inflammation, epithelial state, immune activity, and longitudinal gut biology.

Profiling the host RNA — not the microbiome.

Foli-seq™ profiles host RNA from naturally shed gut epithelial and immune cells present in stool. Unlike microbiome sequencing, which measures microbial DNA or RNA, Foli-seq™ captures the host response at the gut lining — including immune signaling, epithelial state, barrier function, tissue injury, repair biology, therapeutic response, and polyp- or adenoma-associated changes.

Source material
Exfoliated gut epithelial & immune cells
What is profiled
Host RNA gene expression
Not profiled
Microbial DNA or microbial transcriptomes

Built around the biology being measured

Standard Foli-seq™ panels
Curated human, murine, canine, and feline panels for immune activity, epithelial barrier biology, tissue injury, repair biology, treatment response, and discovery profiling.
Custom biology panels
Study-specific gene panels can be developed around defined biological questions, therapeutic mechanisms, disease areas, or target pathways.
Molecular signatures
Panel data can support host-response signatures for disease state, treatment response, patient subgroup discovery, and molecular diagnostics development.

Standard Foli-seq™ panels for human, mouse, and companion animal studies

Foli-seq™ panels profile stool-derived host RNA across immune activation, epithelial barrier function, tissue injury, repair biology, therapeutic response, and polyp- or adenoma-associated biology.

Human and murine panels share a tiered architecture to support translation from preclinical models to human studies. Companion animal panels extend the platform to canine and feline GI biology. Gene-level panel information can be explored in the Panel Browser below.

Human Panels
Translational studies
Human Immune Panel
500+ genes · Targeted immune biology
Human Gut Function Panel
1,800+ genes · Epithelial and barrier biology
Human Universal Panel
11,000+ genes · Broad discovery profiling
Mouse / Preclinical
Murine model studies
Murine Immune Panel
500+ genes · Targeted preclinical immune biology
Murine Gut Function Panel
1,800+ genes · Epithelial and barrier biology
Companion Animal
Canine and feline GI studies
Canine Core GI Host Panel
1,100+ genes · Core GI biology
Feline Core GI Host Panel
1,100+ genes · Core GI biology
Human Foli-seq™ panels provide tiered coverage of host gut biology, from focused immune profiling to broad transcriptomic discovery. The three-tier panels support longitudinal monitoring, treatment-response biology, biomarker discovery, and molecular signature development across gastrointestinal disease areas.
Targeted Panel
500+
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Human Immune Panel

Focused host immune and inflammatory profiling across immune signaling, cytokine and chemokine response, epithelial immune crosstalk, and therapeutic response biology.

Inflammatory signaling
Cytokine and chemokine response
T-cell and B-cell associated signatures
Myeloid and macrophage-associated signals
Epithelial immune crosstalk
Therapeutic response biology
Download list
Functional Panel
1,800+
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Human Gut Function Panel

Broad coverage of epithelial, barrier, mucus, metabolic, injury, and repair biology in the gut mucosa, enabling deeper profiling of local host functional state.

Epithelial barrier function
Goblet and mucus biology
Tissue injury and repair
Nutrient transport
Metabolic and bile acid pathways
Host functional state
Download list
Discovery Panel
11,000+
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Human Universal Panel

Expanded host transcriptomic profiling for discovery biology, molecular signature development, patient subgroup discovery, biomarker modeling, and target discovery.

Broad host transcriptomic discovery
Patient subgroup discovery
Biomarker model development
Disease trajectory tracking
Drug target discovery
Translational data generation
Download list
Murine Foli-seq™ panels extend host gut transcriptomic profiling to preclinical models. The panel architecture mirrors the human tiered design, enabling cross-species readouts of immune activation, epithelial barrier biology, tissue injury, repair biology, treatment response, and model-state biology.
Targeted Preclinical Panel
500+
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Murine Immune Panel

Targeted host immune profiling for murine models of gut inflammation, immune perturbation, microbiome intervention, and therapeutic response.

Immune activation
Inflammatory signaling
Myeloid-associated response
Lymphocyte-associated response
Epithelial–immune crosstalk
Treatment-response biology
Download list
Functional Preclinical Panel
1,800+
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Murine Gut Function Panel

Broad profiling of epithelial barrier biology, mucus and goblet cell programs, tissue injury, repair biology, nutrient transport, metabolic response, and model-state biology in murine gut models.

Epithelial barrier biology
Tissue injury and repair
Goblet and mucus biology
Nutrient transport
Metabolic response
Model-state characterization
Download list
Companion animal Foli-seq™ panels extend non-invasive host gut transcriptomics to canine and feline GI biology. Core GI host panels profile inflammation, epithelial injury, barrier function, repair biology, treatment response, and host functional state across dog and cat studies.
Core GI Panel
~1,000
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Canine Core GI Host Panel

Core host gut biology panel for canine GI inflammation, epithelial injury, barrier function, repair biology, treatment response, and functional state.

GI inflammation
Epithelial injury
Barrier biology
Repair biology
Treatment response
Core host functional state
Download list
Core GI Panel
~1,000
genes profiled
Foli-seq™ Feline Core GI Host Panel

Core host gut biology panel for feline GI inflammation, epithelial injury, barrier function, repair biology, treatment response, and functional state.

GI inflammation
Epithelial injury
Barrier biology
Repair biology
Treatment response
Core host functional state
Download list

Contact Foli Bio to learn more about companion animal GI applications.

Panel Browser

Explore Foli-seq™ panel genes

Explore genes included in human, murine, canine, and feline Foli-seq™ panels. Filter by panel, gene symbol, gene ID, transcript ID, or description.

Showing genes
Species Panel Ensembl Gene ID Ensembl Gene Symbol Ensembl Transcript ID Description
Select a panel above to browse genes.

Bring host gut transcriptomics into biomarker and signature discovery

Foli-seq™ provides standard and custom panel options across human translational studies, murine preclinical models, and companion animal GI research.