Microbiome

The gut microbiome plays a key role in supporting overall health.

In recent years, growing research has revealed that the microbes living in and on our bodies may have profound influences on health. The human microbiome encompasses all the microbes associated with the human body, including gut, skin, respiratory tract, urogenital tract and other body sites. While the term microbiota refers to the microorganisms themselves (which may include bacteria, fungi and viruses), the term microbiome includes the microorganisms along with their collective genomes and metabolites (the molecules they produce).

Inside the gut, normal microbial residents as well as the microbes we eat are constantly interacting with our human cells, including cells of the gut wall and immune system. Beneficial interactions can reinforce the barrier function of the intestinal lining, decreasing passage of bacteria or outside substances from the intestine into the bloodstream, and serve to stimulate the immune system for optimal functioning. Not all actions of the microbiome are positive, however, and some microbial activities are thought to contribute to poor health. Research is underway to determine which gut microbes lead to which health outcomes, and how to modify them to support better health.

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  • Emerging clinical insights into C. difficile infection from gut microbiota research
    In recent years the clinical status and spectrum of C. difficile infection have shifted. The prevalence of this infection has risen sharply. Along with changes that have occurred in the clinical patterns of this disorder, research on the gut microbiome has provided insights into the important factors that contribute to the infection.

  • Science, Microbes & Health Video Series: Prof. Remco Kort PhD
    In this Science, Microbes & Health video, get to know Prof. Remco Kort PhD, the winner of the 2025 Sanders Award for Advancing Biotic Science. Prof. Kort describes his scientific outreach work on the Micropia Museum and Yoba for Life.

  • How ecological dynamics affect pathogens in the gut, with Prof. Kevin Foster PhD
    This episode features Prof. Kevin Foster PhD from University of Oxford (UK), speaking about his lab’s ecological approach to the gut microbiome and efforts to understand and predict dynamics of different species in the microbiome. They also focus on how these ecological dynamics map onto health outcomes, and how they inform interventions. In a 2023…

  • Applying the tools of ecology to manage microbiomes in people with cancer, with Dr. Joao Xavier PhD
    This episode features Dr. Joao Xavier PhD, a systems biologist from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, speaking about the application of ecological principles and tools to individuals being treated for cancer. His lab combines multi-omics profiling with ecological models to generate insights on how microbes interact with each other, for application to clinical risk prediction…

  • Insights from evolutionary ecology on microbiome assembly and modulation,  with Prof. Jens Walter PhD
    This episode features Prof. Jens Walter PhD, a microbial ecologist from University College Cork / APC Microbiome Ireland, explaining how he applies ecological and evolutionary frameworks for the purposes of understanding and modulating microbiomes. Although there appears to be a high amount of stochasticity (or randomness) in microbiomes, stochastic and deterministic elements work together to…

  • Insights into healthy aging: A story as told by gut microbiome (and other) metabolites
    Metabolites, including those derived from the gut microbiome, offer a window into the complex biology of aging. They reflect not just how we live, but how well our bodies are adapting to the passage of time.

  • Microbiome endpoints in clinical trials for biotics – where do we stand and what have we learnt?
    I’m sure you’ve read the results of trials similar to these (fictional) conclusions: ‘Our findings showed an increase in Faecalibacterium and Enterococcus, two…

  • New paper summarizes current findings from global research on the vaginal microbiota
    Knowledge about the vaginal microbiota is important for women’s health worldwide, but the majority of the research to date has…

  • ISAPP panel concludes that more evidence is needed to determine whether probiotics help restore an antibiotic-disrupted microbiota
    By Dr. Mary Ellen Sanders PhD, Mary Ellen Sanders LLC, Colorado, USA, Dr. Hania Szajewska MD, Medical University of Warsaw,…

  • Planning a Biotics Study? New Publication Recommends Adding Diet as a Variable
    Both dietary patterns and specific foods are known to affect the digestive tract environment, either directly or indirectly (for example, by shaping the gut microbiome), and are therefore of interest as potential factors in the response of an individual to a biotic intervention.