Agenda At A Glance

The gut microbiome continues to be at the fore front of medical research and both the industrial and academic communities expect that insights gained from microorganisms will soon become a critical component of health management across a gamut of critical indications. However, the biggest hurdle in translating promising gut microbiome research into effective therapeutic candidates is demonstrating the causative role of human microbiome in disease pathology. Although there are a growing number of microbiome-based candidates showing promising results in both pre-clinical and clinical settings, the approaches that are likely to have well-validated mechanisms of action are limited. The purpose of this theme will be to review the current thinking in approaching the human microbiome mechanistically and understanding both the academic and industrial perspectives on this important topic.