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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