friend or foe? researchers are investigating the role that the billions of bacteria that live in our bodies, such as the gut bacteria Enterococcus faecalis ( photo ), play us sick and we maintaining good health.
US Department of Agriculture
PARIS- We are not alone. Every human being is teeming with billions of microbes that inhabit our guts, our skin, mouth and nose, and our reproductive organs. Scientists call this the microbiome, and in recent years the human microbiome International Consortium has mounted an intense research effort to understand its critical role in health and disease.
But two key programs that helped start this area are coming to an end, and monitoring efforts need to be put in place. It is also unclear if the industry regulators, government, or the public are willing to take ideas microbiome in the clinic. This was the news this week in Paris than 650 researchers gathered for the third annual meeting sponsored by the human microbiome International Consortium, whose members include the National Institutes of Health (NIH), European Commission (EC) and the main health organizations and the science of France, Japan, Canada and several other countries. Both programs microbiome NIH and the EC, which provided $ 140 million million, and $ 27, respectively, in the last five years, are in their stages of sunset at the moment, and the community is waiting new on the future financing of the two sides of the Atlantic.
If the scientific progress made to date is any guide, then there is a lot of justification for such extended financing, according S. Dusko Ehrlich, a molecular biologist at the French INRA research agency and coordinator MetaHIT, the EC-funded program microbiome. "We are now able to not just look at the data, but begin to interpret," Ehrlich said Science Insider. "We see promising avenues for the future", including exploration conclusions that higher degree of biodiversity of microbes in the human body is positively correlated with good health, while low diversity is often correlated with poor health.
Lita Proctor, coordinator of the financed project NIH human microbiome (PGH), added that the field is now mature enough to start having discussions on data, including whether the request controversial that humans can be classified into three different "enterotypes" based on their profiles microbial is valid. "at first, we were just focused on the methodology," said Proctor Science Insider, "but now we have debates on different ideas and perspectives."
regarding the financing of ongoing NIH, Proctor said the agency is currently intense talks with the research community microbiome and internal debates on whether to launch a "HMP2" next year. Proctor said the decision will probably be made this summer. And during the roundtable ending the meeting, Proctor describes what the renewed program would likely focus on: bioinformatics and software tools to manage sequencing microbiomes; large-scale, high-throughput testing to analyze the composition of the human microbiome; and animal models, maybe some researchers have begun to use to see the health effects of experimentally changing the composition of the microbiome.
On the European side, Ehrlich said he hopes MetaHIT, which will expire in 3 months, will continue in some form. "The scientific community expects the EC to call for new proposals in July," said Ehrlich. "Everyone would be very surprised if there were not funded microbiome research, from the signs we get . "
Indeed, the positive atmosphere for microbiome research continues in Europe has helped to attract industry to the research effort, as evidenced by the presence in the final panel of senior three French companies. Danone food conglomerate, pharmaceutical company Mérieux Institute, and a new startup called microbiome Enterome
Pierre Bélichard CEO Enterome, said participants at the meeting that his company is particularly interested in operating the microbiome research to create "biomarkers" for various diseases. and Christian Bréchot, vice president for medical and scientific affairs at Merieux (and former director of biomedical research agency INSERM version NIH France) emphasized the importance of academic researchers patent their results if the microbiome research is to realize its full commercial potential.
In the US, however, the industry has been slow to get involved, according to Proctor, although companies like global health care company Abbott Laboratories and baby food producer Gerber Products Co. now show interest.
But some serious obstacles in translating research base microbiome in clinical trials could come from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned Richard Sharp, Director of Research in Bioethics at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, one of the world's largest private medical centers. "The FDA has adopted a largely conservative position on such clinical trials," said Sharp during his presentation of the panel. "They are coming with huge levels of regulatory burden in many cases, and it could become a major obstacle."
Indeed, Sharp said during the meeting the patients who come to the Cleveland Clinic for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease express concerns about these approaches, which might include the use of probiotics, the consumption of live microorganisms to treat intestinal and other diseases. "Many patients are concerned about the handling of their gut microbiota," said Sharp, adding that "they see this kind of study through the prism of genetically modified foods. They fear that the manipulation of the gut microbiome could lead to irreversible effects. "
Sharp also urged the research community microbiome and funding agencies, to start making awareness greater public to counter the statements often "grossly misleading" made by the companies that sell probiotic products, including claims that probiotics can cure cancer and treat autism spectrum disorders. "most of what people know about this area of research comes from these retailers, "said Sharp. "We should not rely on these companies to make the first messages about this area of research."
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