Translating microbiome science

2013 marked the 10th anniversary of the completion of the human genome project. Time will tell whether sequencing the human genome will deliver all that was promised, but in the decade that has elapsed, the potential and... [ view full abstract ]

2013 marked the 10^th anniversary of the completion of the human genome project. Time will tell whether sequencing the human genome will deliver all that was promised, but in the decade that has elapsed, the potential and promises of the human microbiome have moved centre-stage. The Nobel prize awarded to Warren and Marshall in 2005 was a timely reminder that the solution to some chronic diseases may not reside solely within the host. If it were not for attention shifting toward the interface between the host and the luminal microenvironment, a cure for peptic ulcer disease would never have become a reality. Although the microbiota is an essential health asset, conferring protection against infections, priming mucosal immunity, and producing vitamins, nutrients, and other bioactives, some components of the microbiota may become a liability depending on host susceptibility. Thus, the distinction between pathogens and commensals is variable and depends on context. To comprehensively study gastrointestinal & hepatic physiology and pathophysiology or to model human disease, the gut microbial environment and the modifying influence of food ingredients must be taken into account. The scale and complexity of the microbiota within the gastrointestinal tract is tantamount to a hidden inner organ with a metabolic activity matching that of the liver. The microbiota is not only critical for optimal gastrointestinal development but also has a regulatory influence on mucosal and hepatic homeostasis. This involves continual microbe-host signalling which represents a rich repository of bioactive microbial metabolites that can be ‘mined’. Therefore, understanding the molecular details of host-microbe interactions within the gut promises to yield new therapeutic targets with the potential to move from ‘bugs to drugs’.