I believe that
industryfunded
research is essential
Will there be any major changes for research
in the next five years?
Joël Doré (JD): The simple answer is: yes. We are cur-
rently at a major turning point for microbiome research,
due to recent advances in molecular technology. Our
focus is shifting from the concept of dysbiosis, i.e; the
microbiota composition imbalance in the gut, to the study
of how these perturbations of the microbiome are inter-
fering in its interaction with human cells. I’m excited to see
how it plays out.
Patrick De Boever (PDB): As am I. Computing tools and
bioinformatics are turning data into coherent insight. The
sequencing at the strain level allows us to see which bac-
teria are there but – even more importantly – what they
are doing. As Joël said, we can advance to the next level
by better understanding the relationship between bacteria
and their hosts.
What are the next research trends to watch for
PDB I would say that one of the growing topics is the
holobiome a host organism plus its associated micro
organisms especially in regard to the gestation period and
first thousand days of life
JD I totally agree Patrick We need to keep searching for
clues beyond the gut microbiome such as in the skin lung
and vaginal microbiome as well as providing greater clarity
on the braingut axis
Joël Doré (INRAE) and Patrick De
Boever (Hasselt University) gaze into
their crystal balls to predict the next
wave of opportunities and challenges
for microbiota-related research. From
holobiomes and exposomes to cell
interaction and shotgun metagenomic
sequencing, there are plenty of
reasons to look forward.
Joël Doré
WHAT ABOUT
TOMORROW?
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