The Pathobiome Research Center (PBRC) at PCOM is dedicated to advancing our understanding of how microbial communities influence the development and progression of chronic and neurodegenerative diseases. Established in December 2024, the Center serves as a collaborative research hub focused on identifying microbial drivers of long-term illness, fostering global partnerships, and translating scientific discoveries into actionable insights.
The “pathobiome” refers to microbial communities—viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites—that
can persist in the body and interact with the host to drive inflammation, immune dysfunction,
and chronic illness. Studying the pathobiome holds promise for advancing precision
medicine, diagnostics, and preventive care.
The Pathobiome Research Center is committed to:
Founding Director, Pathobiome Research Center
Executive Director, Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI)
Nikki Schultek, BS, founding director of the Pathobiome Research Center, began this work in 2017, starting with the launch of Intracell Research Group, LLC, catalyzed by her own experience with infection-driven chronic illness. She is also the executive director of the Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI)—a global initiative aimed at investigating infectious contributions to neurodegeneration. Schultek leads this effort in close partnership with PCOM CCDA director Dr. Brian Balin.
Background:
Schultek received her BS in Business Administration from Villanova University, studying marketing, French and international business. She began her career in industry with Pfizer and Genentech. Shortly after accepting her most treasured role, “mom,” Schultek fell systemically ill, including frightening neurodegenerative symptoms. After being diagnosed with Lyme disease, Chlamydia pneumoniae, and other co-infections and receiving antibiotic therapy, she experienced remission. Since 2017, Schultek has been accelerating innovation in infection-associated chronic conditions and illnesses (IACCIs), such as Alzheimer’s Disease, other neurological and psychiatric diseases, asthma, and others by building interdisciplinary research collaborations. First, she founded Intracell Research Group, LLC, uniting researchers, clinicians, and stakeholders across the globe to form cutting-edge research collaborations. She then co-founded the Alzheimer’s Pathobiome Initiative (AlzPI) and is serving as executive director. She serves as a co-investigator of a 3,200-patient asthma trial (iTREAT-PC) and guest editor of a special issue on infections for the Springer Nature journal Molecular Neurobiology between 2023 and 2025.Schultek served as co-lead author of the landmark AlzPI research roadmap “Establishment of a consensus protocol to explore the brain pathobiome in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: Research outline and call for collaboration” published with the AlzPI and Intracell Research Group global teams in June 2023 in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
The long-standing collaboration between Nikki Schultek and Brian Balin unites clinical and patient-centered insight with experimental rigor, positioning PCOM as a leader in pathobiome-driven discovery.
The PBRC supports and contributes to high-impact publications and media features that are reshaping biomedical approaches to chronic disease:
The PBRC, in partnership with the CCDA and AlzPI, hosts annual scientific symposia and public lectures. These events bring together global experts in microbiology, immunology, neuroscience, and systems biology to exchange insights and accelerate discoveries.
We welcome partnerships from:
To learn more or participate in upcoming events, please contact: nicolesc2@pcom.edu
Pathobiome Research Center
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
4170 City Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19131
© 2025 Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
