The Human Microbiome Project is a large-scale research study to identify the different microorganism living within us, on our skins, and on our gut.
Will people be able to reduce or prevent disease by
sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria and making lifestyle changes
according to the genome of their microbiomes? Will pharmaceutical companies develop drugs to change an
individual’s microbiome makeup to prevent or treat disease?
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/253719.php
I think the importance of intestinal bacteria and their role in our health has been underrepresented in science thus far. This article nicely highlights the strides that that scientific discipline is making. I dont think it would be necessarily efficient for everyone to go sequencing their microbiome on a whim and without particular predispositions. I think if intestinal problems do arise it would be a good tool to be able to get a very specific picture of what the issue may be and how to tailor a solution that works specifically for your body. Plus, it remains to be seen that by sequencing the microbiome treatments can be adopted that would prevent disease ;there needs to be more concrete research to support this idea. I think inventing drugs to change individual microbiomes is frightening quite honestly. I think we have evolved in a way in which is conducive to our own bodies health. But as I mentioned, If problems do arise, i think that would be a good time to sequence a micorbiome and maybe try to use diet and lifestyle changes, rather than genomic changes and/or therapy to rectify it.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think genome sequencing of gut bacteria is needed to reduce or prevent disease. Sequencing makes individuals pay extra money for something they can take care of themselves through the right diet and exercise. Also the sequencing may only show the microbes from the mothers, and not the environment, which also plays a crucial role in the gut bacteria of the body. As Ashley said, I don’t think it’s necessary to sequence the genome of the gut bacteria to prevent disease but I think it could be useful to reduce disease once someone has been diagnosed. It may be useful in extreme cases but I just don’t think the genome should keep being used as an excuse for problems with our bodies. Many times it is our lifestyles that lead to our problems and we blame them on our genome because we don’t want to take responsibility for it.
ReplyDeletePharmaceutical companies would love this because they would be able to make more money from more drugs that they can mass produce to change an individual’s microbiome to prevent/treat disease. This would lead to more problems, such as drug resistance or dependence, which could be a concern for society as a whole. While the imbalance of bacteria could lead to diseases like the article says, many harmful bacteria can also live in healthy bodies without causing disease. There isn’t a significant need to sequence the genome to prevent disease so we don’t these unnecessary tests. Many of these microbes are meant to keep us healthy so I don’t think we should make any changes without fully knowing what we are doing.
Until this article, I did not really think too much about the importance of gut flora and its impact on our health. I think that this sort of research will spin off and explode into thousands of directions and impact all realms of health research including public health, medicine, and nutrition. I think the most fascinating thing about this article is when it discusses the balance between the microbiome and our own genes. This implies that microbiome genome sequencing can open doors for more personalized medicine.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of personalized medicine, I completely agree with Ashley Frankino. I think that manipulating the genes of our gut flora might be dangerous. I worry that this sort of manipulation might produce unintended side effects that may produce changes in the functioning of the gut flora. The human microbiome and gene work in balance with each other and disrupting this balance is also frightening to me. But I think that this sort of sequencing might be more appropriate for determining things like personalized diet plans or drugs that work depending on gut flora. Perhaps we can use this sequencing to provide care that works around the loopholes as determined by our own gut flora.
I found this article very interesting. Prior to reading this article I had not heard about any research being done for the Human Microbiome Project. It is an interesting idea and I feel that it will be beneficial for the field of medicine in the future. It is a naturally progression in field of genetics now that the human genome has been sequenced. As we learn more and more about a person’s genes, medicine can become more and more personalized, which I feel is a good thing for the future of the field of medicine.
ReplyDeleteAs the article states, this research will probably be able to help treat diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Diseases such as these can be very debilitating for people. Diseases such as these do not have cures, but rather patients must learn to manage these chronic illnesses to the best of their ability as a way of maintaining a relatively normal lifestyle. Perhaps when the Human Microbiome Project is finished sequencing all of these microbiomes providers and pharmaceutical companies will be better able to help treat patients suffering from these types of diseases. Pharmaceutical companies will develop better drugs and providers will be better able to diagnose patients if they can have their patient’s gut bacteria sequenced.
I personally know many people who suffer from diseases such as IBS and Celiac Disease. Drastic lifestyle changes have to be made to manage disease like these. I think that sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria would be very beneficial for providers to be able to provide targets and individualized treatment for these people.
I think this is very interesting field of genetics. These microorganisms are obviously easier to genetically manipulate than human DNA and RNA and it seems that there is growing interest in making an industry out of their sequencing. The question is: how far will big pharm go to make a profit off of microbiomes? Individuals with Celiac disease or other gastro-intestinal/genetic disorders could benefit from drugs that target, destroy, or minimize the effects of specified proteins. By knowing their "microbial genome", individuals might be able to avoid specific foods that cause reactions. Finally, maybe techniques might be developed that replace part or all of a person's microbiome with one that has less genetic dispositions. However, these advances might lead to the patenting of microbiomes (like Myriad and BRCA2), resulting in no market competition and thus high costs for drugs/treatments for genetic "gut" disorders.
ReplyDeleteLike most scientific advancements, policy changes will come too late. It's important for lawmakers to act soon, or pharm companies will be patenting the microorganisms on our skin and in our bellies.
After reading this article, I think that there is hope that as new information is gathered people will be able to reduce or prevent diseases by sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria and making the necessary lifestyle changes according to the genome of their microbes. I do believe that this project could lead to new developments in health care and new technologies. However, I wonder if in the future there will be problems with patenting and monopolizing on microbes like we are currently seeing with the human genome. A big part of my reaction is if we will go through the same thing in a few years with patenting issues and companies trying to control drugs for diseases such as IBS or Crohn's disease, or testing for certain microorganisms.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of if pharmaceutical companies will be able to develop drugs to change an individual's microbiome makeup to prevent or treat disease, I'm honestly not sure how that will develop. I think that it sounds like a possibility, but I honestly don't know too much about the ability of pharmaceutical company to create certain types of drugs, so I'm not sure to what extent this will be possible. The idea of being able to create drugs that can treat diseases such as IBS and Crohn's disease does sound incredibly promising and beneficial as many people are affected by such diseases. However, I don't know that pharmaceutical companies should develop drugs to alter an individual's microbiome makeup. I wonder what effects this could have on other aspects of how an individual functions. By changing one thing, could we potentially be creating additional problems and new diseases or illnesses? I think the effects of changing microbiome makeup should be extensively evaluated before any drugs are created. Every drug has side effects, but it is necessary to make sure that we don't create additional problems while fixing one problem.
Overall, I do feel that this research study can have great long term effects as more information becomes available. This sounds like the start of many new developments in the health care field which is always encouraging. However, it is necessary to monitor the developments that occur both in research and in pharmaceutical companies as a result of the findings of this study.
After reading this article and another article written about the same study from a different author, slight variabilities in interpretation exist between the two. The original article did not mention that scientists only collected two stool samples from 252 subjects to find very little variability in microbial DNA. I think it is fair to assume that there is little variability and that the microbial DNA in the intestine is relatively stable, but I think the study needs to be conducted on a wider scale, in order to determine how microbes shape our lives and contribute to diseases like IBS, Crohns, and obesity.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was very interesting how they mentioned that babies become colonized with microbes as they pass through the birth canal and into the world. I am curious to know how this is done internally from what seems like it would have to be colonized as the baby is forming in the womb.
The article did not mention exact examples of how results of sequencing your DNA would lead to immediate changes in lifestyle. As a result, this makes me think that this would be another test of sequencing DNA that could be advertised as DTC, but is not necessarily as helpful as they wouldve originally thought because people would remain uneducated on how to further use their results. They also did not mention any concrete proof of drugs that would be altered according to individualized results so this makes me think that there is a lot of talk happening, but nothing will be known for sure until a long series of medical tests are employed among the population.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121205132159.htm
I am not necessarily convinced by this article for the need to sequence the microorganisms within us. While I thought the association between this flora and obesity was somewhat interesting, I very much agree with Ashley Frankino in that our bodies have evolved in a way that is naturally conducive for our health. The microorganisms on our skin and in our bodies is there for a reason. Manipulating this could potentially cause more harm than good, especially through pharmaceuticals and their long term affects. I also think that communicating this information to the public could very easily be misinterpreted due to the microbiology of it. This could also cause misconceptions about this information, and because the aim is to try to change behaviors it could influence people's responses.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason bacteria has always had a bad wrap in the eyes of the media and public, but now we know that most of the bacteria in our gut is vital for the digestion of food and our well being. The type of foods we eat and digest also play a role in which bacteria thrive and which one's do not. I think this area of research is important for a clinical diagnosis of digestive tract diseases, that can be debilitating to countless people, such as Crohn's disease and IBS. With pharmaceutical companies advancing in the every drug avenue that they can, this will be a more prevalent area in medicine. By inducing specific types of bacteria into the gut with pills it is crucial that we have a physician guiding these decisions. All in all I think more research is needed in this area to regulate the effects these kind of pills could have on our public in a direct consumer market.
ReplyDeleteThe previous research did not address mutations within the gut bacteria and how they can be used to prevent or reduce chances of certain diseases. This is something that would need much more research, but could be very promising. The article made reference to using this technology to combat obesity. With obesity rates climbing as they are and about 1/3 of children and adolescents being overweight or obese this research developing a drug or lifestyle plan which could combat obesity would be beneficial in many ways, such as reducing health complications associated with obesity and creating an other all healthier population. The best plan in my eyes would be to create lifestyle changes which can help combat the rising obesity in the nation but there is always the alternative of drug therapy for those who already established lifestyles that they are unable or unwilling to make changes to or those cases where simple changes in dietary intake cannot make a difference. Pharmaceutical companies will jump at the chance to create a drug which 68.8% of the population who are overweight or obese (PBS)will be interested in using and most insurance companies will cover because it will decrease their longer term costs. If changing gut bacteria is the only way to combat this rising health concern then many people will be interested in becoming a part of it as it costs everyone money, employers, insurance companies, the individual, the government, and many other sectors.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/05/obesity-in-america-by-the-numbers-1.html
The similar responses of human DNA and microbial DNA leads me to believe that with further research and development in this field, findings regarding the genome of the microbiome will hugely impact the scope and acquisition of health.
ReplyDeleteI think this research will be well received and viewed as an aid to patients with a personal or family history of GI and autoimmune disorders like IBS and Crohn’s disease.
For reasons similar to the purpose of genetic counseling, I support the idea of participating in genome sequencing for the microbiome for the purpose of education and subsequently, adopting behavioral changes to address risks or predispositions.
Upon reading this article, probiotic bacteria and supplements came to mind. Probiotics are naturally present in the intestines and help to balance the microflora and may be taken to treat stomach and intestinal problems. Because these probiotic dietary supplements are harmless and are targeted to naturally treat imbalances, I am willing to accept this method.
I am concerned that the development of pharmaceuticals intended to change the individuals microbiome is too extreme. Before any such drugs are made, I suggest that further research be conducted on the long-term repercussions of these changes.
Five years down the line, I can almost foresee the lay media using these findings, misinterpreting them and treating the sequencing as the next hot trend to control diet (or something else outlandish that this research has not explicitly set out to address), mirroring what was done in the highlighted story on the “cheating gene”.
Overall, I am hopeful that the Human Microbiome Project will be a positive addition to the realm of genetics, but heed caution toward the long term implications and mode of intervention.
After reading the article I am not entirely sure where I stand in my opinion about sequencing gut bacteria. I am caught in the middle, I could see it as benefiting those with intestinal issues and I can also see it as being unnecessary. I agree with Ashley Frankino, I do not see a reason for individuals that do not have predispositions for intestinal or other related problems to have their bacterial microbiome sequenced. I think that information about the way that microbial genes and human genes interact to cause intestinal problems would be beneficial for individuals with such issues if there is a treatment available to them, but I do not think enough research has been done yet. I think that the interaction between microbial genes and human genes that cause us to be healthy are helpful to know in order to ensure individual health, but I do not think that it is entirely necessary to sequence the bacteria, there are several other avenues that individuals can take to ensure that they are healthy.
ReplyDeleteMore studies of the gut microbiome would most likely increase the effectiveness of certain drugs, but I strongly believe that lifestyle changes would benefit people more than these drugs would. I think that for certain diseases that these bacteria may cause, drugs is the only answer, but in cases such as obesity which the article highlights as being affected by gut bacteria, the choices that individuals make about food and exercise often have a greater impact. I can very easily see both sides, which is why I am completely torn down the middle on this issue.
I agree with Mitreva (from the article) in that further research needs to be done in order to understand how we can improve human health and make drugs more effective via the genetic sequencing of our microbes. I also agree with some of my classmates in that this article really does not give enough information in regards to what can our microbiome makeup help us do. But, I think that because our microbiome is constant we can probably learn useful information to help us make beneficial lifestyle changes in individuals. I think that with further research we can eventually figure out how to adapt individuals diet and drugs so that it works well with the bacteria in their gut so that they don’t develop certain diseases or illnesses. But as of now, we have a great start in that, we know that this can potentially be very useful but currently, we do not have enough information to conclude to what extent this information can be useful.
ReplyDeleteThis article, as everyone seems to be aware of, does not give too much information on the discovery, more like a brief overview reporting dumb downed results to the public. I think the article is an interesting find but without any supporting information or in depth intelligent writing it is hard to see the significance. It seems to me this is a new initial discovery that only brings about the point that we have learned something new but really don't know how to apply it in a useful way to society. Even if they did have an idea is it cost effective etc. This discovery doesn't seem as impressive or important as the genome but that is due to the lack of information. The take away point from this article is let the research on relativity begin.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read the article I thought to myself, ‘we have gone all these years without such genetic testing, why can’t we just let our body’s continue to adapt to the environment.’ Not all the bacteria in our stomach are bad and it seems like wasteful testing/money to test our gut microbiome. People can control having intestinal issues with proper diet and exercise. People do not realize that we have a lot of control over our genes and how they act out. Unless there is a family history of IBS or Crohn’s disease or intestinal problems arise, I do not see the need to be tested. However, I think it will be helpful to test those who do have these diseases in order to see which microbes cause the disease. With that knowledge, the information can be put to good use to create more effective drugs.
ReplyDeleteI have learned over and over again in my science classes that not all bacteria are bad, and I think this article reinforces that fact. We have such a tendency these days to want to eliminate all kinds of bacteria, by taking broad spectrum antibiotics to target any foreign invader in the body. However, many of these bacteria are necessary for our survival. I think sequencing these DNA could be very useful in understanding digestive health. People with IBD and IBS will be able to identify what exact strains of bacteria are harming them, and we will also be able to identify the bacteria that prove to be helpful in digestion. With this knowledge, therapies can be introduced to target the specific harmful bacteria and eliminate them from the GI tract, and find out why/how they got there in the first place.
ReplyDeleteThis information can also be used to enhance our knowledge on probiotics. Probiotics, which are capsules/foods that contain the bacteria that are helpful to digestion, have become much more popular in recent years. With the sequencing of gut DNA, we will be able to identify what levels of "good bacteria" should occur in our guts. Different probiotics can be prescribed to people that are lacking in levels of these helpful organisms. This in turn can hopefully help us all to someday reach a balance between good and bad bacteria, and help us all to have a functional, healthy digestive system.
After reading this article, I believe there is still much to be learned about microbiome and how it could prevent disease. Researchers in this article discovered the uniqueness of individual’s microbiome, calling it a “fingerprint.” Knowing an individual’s microbiome, it may be possible in the future to tailor diets and drugs that will be most effective with the internal environment it’ll be living in, such as the gut. However, research for this is far down the line. More information needs to be discovered to make the microbiome useful in disease prevention. One way to do this would be through case-control trials. Taking people with a particular disorder, such as obesity as mentioned in the article, and comparing their microbiomes with other non-diseased will provide more specifics about the importance of microbes.
ReplyDeleteOne way to use this information will be to identify people in the population who are already predisposed to certain diseases based on their microbiome makeup. As discussed in class on March 26, the Johns Hopkins’ study discovered that those who knew they had a “fat gene” had more motivation to diet and exercise because they knew they had to work harder. I believe, by informing people that their microbiome predisposes them to obesity, it may inspire those individuals to tailor their diet and exercise plans accordingly. Using the microbiome is a way, other than DNA, to see how our physical makeup can influence our health and I am excited to see just how important microbiomes will become in the future.
As many have commented, this area of study needs to be researched much further before any definitive conclusions can be made about what this means for the general public. I’m not surprised these microbes have an impact on our health, but I think that this test is relatively unnecessary except in extreme cases. The only thing that really struck me as useful was the statement, “differences in the way individuals respond to various drugs or the way they use specific nutrients can be traced to the genetic variation in our microbial genes as well as in our human genes.” It’s interesting to know that the microbes in your body have a unique impact on your response to certain treatments. I think that maybe this test would be acceptable to fix the problem if there is a predisposition for a disease, after a problem in the uptake of nutrients, or after an issue in the efficacy of a specific drug treatment. But I’m not convinced that sequencing the microbes in your body is advantageous for the general population.
ReplyDeletePharmaceutical companies will definitely take advantage of people if this becomes common practice. I can imagine them advertising individualized drugs as a “quick fix” especially for people who are trying to lose weight (the article mentioned obesity). Think of current weight loss supplements-they are advertised as the ultimate fix to weight problems. These companies could do the exact same thing, but claim that they are manufacturing them for your specific individual needs. Instead of eating a healthy diet and engaging in a generally healthy lifestyle, people might turn to the “individualized quick fix.” As Liz said in her post, it’s too easy to blame your health on your own genetics and (now) on your microbes and not your lifestyle choices. This theme has been recurring throughout the blog posts. People need to be more educated on how their choices impact their overall health.
Like the students before me mentioned, I had never really heard about this side of genomics research and it really exciting to hear about a new way to potentially reduce diseases. While the article offers some promising results saying things like microbiomes in the gut "suggest an imbalance of bacteria can lead to diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease". The article further discusses that scientists hope to study the microbiome and help find out how to manipulate their genes to improve health and make drugs more effective.
ReplyDeleteEven though this sounds very promising, especially for pharmaceutical companies, there is still a lot of further research needed. People can usually control for most diseases related to the digestive system with certain drugs and a stable diet. So is spending all this money to get a genome of their microbiome really worth it? Unless there is a direct correlation and further research on the topic, we can not put all of our money and hopes in the DNA microbiomes.
After this article and the teachings in today’s class I am still skeptical about genomes of microbiomes. Much is still being learned from our own genome, how about we focus on that first instead of funding projects that look at bacteria living in our gut? Although the article explains that the microorganisms on and in our body remain consistent throughout our lives, alterations can happen. As we learned in class today, hormones and fluctuations in illnesses can alter the bacteria that are present in our bodies. Therefore, I think it would be difficult to alter the bacteria in our gut in order to prevent or reduce disease. If we interfere too much, we may even get rid of important bacteria that could help prevent us from disease.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be risky for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs to change an individual’s microbiome makeup because there can be variations that are not accounted for. For example, what if a person has had a bout of diarrhea recently and a drug alters the microbiome for that genome, but now the microbiome has changed due to this person’s illness. The drug may now be not as effective than as originally planned. As stated before, I think research should focus more on polymorphisms in our own genomes that will never vary when designing drugs or effective treatments
I have actually never learned about the Human Microbiome Project until today in class and by reading this article. It is really interesting to see that there is something almost similar to genetic testing except on the flora gut.
ReplyDeleteI believe that because of this advanced information, people will be able to reduce or prevent disease by sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria and making lifestyle changes according to the genome of their microbiomes. However, I do not think it is necessary unless it has developed. Instead, it will be more helpful for the people who already develop chronic illnesses like Crohn's disease and irratible bowl syndrome. For diseases like obesity, which the article mentions, I think that nutrition and physical activity would be more effective than manipulating the genes.
Pharmaceutical companies will probably develop drugs to change an individual's microbiome makeup to prevent or treat disease but it will probably be expensive because of the uniqueness of the treatment. Cost is a con to this topic, but a pro to this is that since it is unique to individual's it would more likely work for them.
Like most of the students before me, I have never learned about the human microbiome before this class. I think it is interesting that bacteria can have such effects on health and disease as these. The article states that “the DNA of microbes in the gut has a unique fingerprint that can identify individuals in the same way as DNA.” This makes sense, but I think more research should be done about sequencing microbiomes. Once this field is researched more thoroughly, I believe that this technique will be useful in reducing diseases, especially those concerning the gut, such as Crohn’s Disease. This practice could be used to manipulate the genes that cause such diseases in order to improve patients’ health. However, I don’t see this technology being used in non-extreme situations.
ReplyDeletePharmaceutical companies will most likely develop drugs that will treat these diseases using an individual’s microbiome. It seems like this will be very expensive because like DNA, everyone’s microbiome is different. I think the companies might attempt to develop drugs like this, but will soon realize that it is too expensive and not worthwhile because drugs to treat these diseases are already in use and have been proven effective. Although, it would be interesting to develop drugs that pinpoint the genes and bacteria that cause gut-disease in the genome. I think this microbiome sequencing is a good idea but further research needs to be done in order to determine how useful it will be in the field before new drugs are developed.
Like most other students have already said, I've also never heard of the Human Microbiome Project before this class and before reading this article. I've also never really known much about microbiome at all. I think it's definitely interesting DNA isn't the only thing that is unique to every person or makes a person different from another individual, but that the DNA of the gut microbiome in a person's gut is just as unique. Overall, I thought the Mircrobiome Project is very interesting, but also more research definitely has to be done, especially in sequencing the microbiomes. There's still so much more to know about it and we only know so little about it right now. When there is more research done, I think that this could be helpful in reducing diseases. In terms of making lifestyle changes according to the genome of their microbiomes, however, I'm a little skeptical about that at the moment only because I don't know how that would really work. Would it be that if you sequence a person's microbrome and see what is unhealthy based on that, then they can make lifestyle changes? I don't really know. In the article it also did mention how the "gut bacteria may even play a role in obesity."
ReplyDeleteAnd as more research is done, I think pharmaceutical companies will definitely develop drugs to change an individual's microbiome makeup to prevent or treat diseases. This would really help people, but also help pharmaceutical companies make money, so I think they'd definitely try to develop drugs to change microbiomes of people. But overall, more research is definitely necessary, but this is great start and it is definitely interesting.
I think with further research this topic of microbiomes can be used for many applications of health and development. However as we discussed in class there still needs to be a lot of research done in order for this to be an efficient application of science. As of now there are so many factors that affect the results of identification using bacteria found on the body. Hormones, sickness, and many other factors alter the results of a microbe test so I do not know if mapping the human microbe would be an efficient use of time since it always is changing. I think time should be used more to understand what the changes mean and how it can affect our health. If we this is not done than information may be misidentified and people could improperly jailed or wrongfully accused. Again it is a wonderful development in science however as with all new developments thorough research needs to be performed.
ReplyDeleteSheba Ebhote
DeleteI feel like the Microbiome Project is another example of how holistic the study of genetics/genomics is. The fact that we can look at the microogranisms living in an on us to determine our susceptibility to certain diseases is incredible. This article also helped clear up a confusion I had in class. Basically, the podcast we heard in class mentioned that our microbiota remains relatively stable, which would give us a good reason to use it as a fingerprint for identification. However, we also mentioned that it fluctuates as well, based on age, hormones, and even based on whether we are sick or not. The article, however, explains that the microorganisms change during different phases in our life, but it is the overall DNA of the microbiome which remains stable.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that sequencing the genome of the gut bacteria as well as making lifestyle changes based on the genome of the microbiome can play a big role in reducing/preventing diseases. However, because our microorganisms vary by location on the body, I think it’s too soon to believe that diseases can be prevented based on gut bacteria alone. When it comes to making drugs, however, I do think that looking at gut bacteria is most beneficial, since the majority of the drugs we intake go through the gastrointestinal tract. I know that when it comes to taking certain medications, I find that I can feel the effects of certain drugs more than others taking the same drug. Gene expression of the microorganisms in my gut can therefore be different from those of others, so the interaction between the drug and the microbiota is causing the difference in how well the drug works. Lifestyle changes definitely have a huge role as well. I think our diet, especially, is a key player in maintaining or destroying the balance of the microbiota in our gut. A lot of microorganisms can react to different foods, and a lot of foods can kill off these microorganisms or create an environment for them to grow. The project is focusing on a very interesting topic that can really change the scope of public health and genomics.
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site?
ReplyDeleteIts very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of content
so people could connect with it better. Youve got
an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 pictures.
Maybe you could space it out better?
My page; security
The recent discovery that Microbes in the Gut has DNA much like our "fingerprint" that can be used to better our way of life and understanding of individual cases of disease and nutrient processing is an amazing discovery without a doubt. However, I am not so sure that doing anything other than using this information to better understand such things as the way one reacts to a certain drug or what the susceptibility or cause of a certain disease in an individual is such a good thing. It is the "nature of the beast" for drug companies to take advantage of the fact that now each individual can be analyzed on the smallest possible scale. As George Weinstock explains, the DNA FOUND IN THE GUT COULD ABSOLUTELY TELL US HAS EACH PERSON REACTS TO A PARTICULAR DRUG! However, I believe that the microbiome evolves with us as it states i the article, and should therefore be left alone to adapt naturally to certain conditions. I am not completely convinced that adding another aspect of drugs to our system and in some ways "playing nature" is the best way to go about fixing certain disease, as opposed to embracing a more holistic lifestyle change. In the end, it is absolutely a major discovery and will benefit humans in countless ways, but I would hate to see it as another way for drug companies to take advantage of consumers.
ReplyDeleteI usually do not comment, but I browsed some of the remarks on this page "Good Bugs".
ReplyDeleteI actually do have 2 questions for you if it's allright. Could it be only me or do a few of these remarks appear like they are written by brain dead people? :-P And, if you are posting on additional online sites, I would like to follow you. Could you list of every one of all your shared sites like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin profile?
My homepage Key Holders Durban
Through the research cited in this article, it seems unlikely that the microbiome alone will be able to prevent disease. There are a host of other factors such as environment and inheritance that influence microbiome makeup. Also, microbial DNA only accounts for one half of the equation. It is important to note that a great deal of the microbial effect comes from its interaction with an individual’s actual DNA. Though changing lifestyle behaviors may provide somewhat of a solution, it will likely not provide all of it. If it does provide a beneficial effect, it might be a lessened one.
ReplyDeleteIt is entirely possible that pharmaceutical companies will try to create a drug that will influence microbiome composition. However, since each individual’s microbiome is so unique, it might be difficult to generalize the drug. It also might be dangerous to change an individual’s microbiome. Until more research is done on the complexity of the interactions between genetic makeup and microbiome genetic makeup, pharmaceutical companies might find it difficult to develop and market the drug.
In theory, I think that yes, people will be able to reduce or prevent disease through the sequencing of the genome of their gut bacteria. Reality, however, is likely to be very different. I think this is a dangerous road to head down, because so little is known about our microbiomes. If we only recently discovered that harmful bacteria can co-exist with a healthy host without causing disease, it seems like we have a long way to go in figuring out exactly what roles our bacteria play in regards to our health. I think that as of right now, any drug that is developed that will alter the microbiome environment on or in our bodies will likely have a dangerous side-effect. If a simple change in the number of a certain kind of bacteria can cause disease or illness, then consuming drugs that will have that effect on a large scale could be disastrous. That environment is so sensitive and delicately balanced that altering it with pharmaceuticals is an extremely risky endeavor.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm still a little fuzzy on how our microbiome can identify us in a way comparable to sequencing our DNA, so I'm highly skeptical of this article. Perhaps because there wasn't really any explanation as to how it can be done (I feel like this article was basically a summary of the findings of some studies done recently), but I'm not really convinced. I think suggesting or making lifestyle changes based on an individual's microbiome is a better route. This way you're working with your body's natural bacteria and not working against it with external adjustments.
After reading this article I can see the positives and negatives that come from manipulating our gut microbes. I think it could be potentially dangerous to try and manipulate our genes using this information to make us more receptive to different drugs and treatments. Because everyone is different this manipulation could cause unwanted side effects and would make testing more difficult because of everyone’s unique gut microbes.
ReplyDeleteHowever, these findings could have positive effects in tailoring a specific diet and nutrition plan. If an individual could discover what types of treatments would work for them and be most beneficial, they would not have to waste time doing trial and error. Personalized treatment plans seem like a step in the right direction if it could be done without actually manipulating our genes.
I feel as though the Human Microbiome Project takes a unique approach to medicine and sheds light on a new perspective of health. I definitely do believe that the types and amount of these different microbiomes in different areas of our body, specifically the gut, do affect our overall health. As the article states, genetic variation in our microbial genes and human genes can contribute to the different responses elicited by individuals to certain drugs. This correlation will be very helpful in medicine to avoid unwanted side effects and promote overall health. Being a person who had a parasite last year from going to Honduras with Global Medical Brigades, I am well aware that microbial health in our gut has significant effects on overall health, not just abdominal health. It has been proven that increasing the balance of good bacteria in the gut (such as taking probiotics) has positive affects on health, and if there is further research indicating more specifically which microbiomes are beneficial and detrimental we will have a better idea of how to treat disease, such as Chron’s disease and Irritable Bowl Syndrome.
ReplyDeleteAlthough treating disease with certain amounts of good bacteria is proven to be beneficial, genetically altering the genes of these microbiomes could lead to many adverse side effects due to the ambiguity of the specific roles microbiome genome play in interacting with the human genome and overall human health. We are aware of the affects these microbiome’s have on our health, but not our fullest extent of knowledge. If extensive research is carried out this may be possible, but nowhere in the near future, due to the fact that our health is attained through this delicate balance of these microbiomes and manipulating this balance could cause different adverse side effects on different people.
This article does a very good job explaining the research of gut microbes to people who have never heard of it such as myself. It was very interesting and I can see this being a bigger area of research in the future; especially if the results lead to the development of drugs beneficial to our health. However, as others have stated before me, I don't believe it is necessary at the moment to map out every person's gut bacteria. Perhaps if future research shows it to be significantly necessary, then I believe it should only be used in extreme intestinal cases.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, I must wonder how beneficial it would be to temper with something that is so natural and symbiotic. True, perhaps we may be able to prevent some diseases, but who knows how the bacteria may react to the drugs that we administer. In addition, with time, it may lead to the development of a resistance to the medication, and thus, we may be better off trying to avoid it as much as possible, perhaps using it exclusively for extreme cases.
Overall, if prevention of diseases and improving human health are the ultimate goals, then the focus should not be gut bacteria, but rather, improving people's overall way of living, which would have a much more significant benefit and would be much more natural in nature.
I think there is potential in making certain changes in accordance with genome sequences of bacteria present in the gut. We tend to feel unwell when our natural bacterial levels become unbalanced, and with Crohn's disease, certain foods have to be avoided (fruits and vegetables) which are essential for health, and would be recommended if not for the fact that the Crohn's disease makes it painful to digest such foods. Furthermore, surgery is one of the only treatment options, and only effective for a short period of time. Surgery is quite invasive, and as public health students, we know that surgery implies to high financial cost and personal risk. If there were more effective options, such as a specific, targeted change in diet, it would be beneficial for everyone involved. However, Crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome do not have specific known causes, therefore gut bacteria imbalances is only speculation at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI am more than sure that pharmaceutical companies will invest time and money into research of gut bacterial levels, and changing levels in order to treat or prevent disease. However, as with all interventions that change our natural makeup or balances, it needs to be approached with caution, as a change could develop different problems, or leave our bodies vulnerable to new ailments. Yet, perhaps it requires less caution than interventions that we've discussed on here that could alter our DNA because it doesn't seem as detrimental to our physical makeup. In the end, I think there is a lot of potential in this field. In addition, companies have created "probiotic" pills and yogurts that play on this same concept, so I'm confident that pharmaceutical companies have already invested money into this research field.
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People may be able to reduce or prevent disease by sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria and making lifestyle changes according to the genome of their microbiomes. It would be possible to see what is lacking in the person's diet, so he or she could be told what foods should be eaten to promote gut microbes. Since our microbiome evolves with us, we can see the effects of our lifestyle changes.
ReplyDeletePharmaceutical companies will probably develop drugs to change an individual's microbiome makeup to prevent or treat disease. Once more tests and research is done on the subject of gut microbes, companies will definitely start making drugs to prevent or treat disease. I don't know how well these drugs will be able to work since there are so many variations of each person's gut microbes, which may need to be accounted for when production starts. If specific genes are found to cause a disease, then companies could make drugs to change the gene. The drugs that are developed will probably be made to help the most common microbes fight a disease, but it may be different for everyone.
Research into the microbes that colonize in our gut opens to door to an understanding of lifestyle changes and health risk that may affect certain individuals more than others. The researchers in this study collected samples from 252 individuals and sequenced the genes of the microbes they collected. They discovered that just like variation in our human genes, the different sequences of microbe DNA can affect how people respons to certain drugs or the likelihood they will develop certain diseases.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is benefit to the individual in knowing their microbiome makeup because it allows for an understanding of specific health risks and lifestyle changes they may benefit from. This is also an opportunity for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs that change microbiome composition to improve health. By developing certain drugs that alter microbiomes that lead to health risks, pharmaceutical companies can profit from preventing and treating certain chronic diseases.
Before this I was not aware of the Human Microbiome Project. I find it interesting to read how bacteria in the gut plays an important role in the health of the individual. Like many of my peers that have commented I am not entirely sure if sequencing the genome of the gut bacteria is actually necessary or even how it can affect or prevent diseases. I believe there is a need for further research to be done on the genome of gut bacteria to be able to say with more certainty that it can have a preventive aspect to it for human health.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if further research is done and it is found that microbiomes have a significant impact on health I am certain that pharmaceutical companies will develop drugs to not necessarily change but enhance human gut bacteria.
Based off of what I gathered from the article, despite the promise of preventing disease, lifestyle changes will always be necessary. There is still no deep understanding of how these organisms shape our lives. The only questions research could answer were suggestions about how an imbalance in gut bacteria affects us. Despite research also suggesting that the bacteria found in our gut can play a role in obesity, individual lifestyles play a role as well. As obesity becomes more and more prevalent you can visually see how people’s lifestyles can lead to obesity. With lifestyle includes, social interactions, food, and environment and can collectively be detrimental to one’s health.
ReplyDeleteI also do not think pharmaceutical companies will develop new drugs because as the article stated, an individuals makeup of their microbiome is like an individual fingerprint. And despite its stability, pharmaceutical companies would have to tailor drugs based on individual needs, so unless more research is done about the microbiome then this will not be possible.
I do not think that it is essential that people have the genome of their gut bacteria sequenced. The article states that there is evidence that harmful bacteria can live in healthy bodies and co exist with their host and other microbes without causing disease. There are also microbes in the body that are helpful to us so I do not see the benefit of developing drugs to change an individual’s microbiome. People who have diseases like irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease have been able to control their disease with diet changes and not having their microbes sequenced so I do not see the need to have gut microbes sequenced.
ReplyDeleteI think that with pharmaceutical companies will eventually make drugs that change an individual’s microbiome. They will make the drugs too make money. There will be some people that will want these drugs to help prevent and treat diseases even when most people live healthy lives with these gut bacteria. If gut bacteria is found to play a role in obesity I think that these drugs will be come even more appealing to people. I agree with Katherine that people will see these drugs as a quick fix. It will be another reason to blame their health on their genes and not their unhealthy choices.
I think the role of bacteria in our health is one that has been under studied. While I believe it can be an indication of our health it is partially because the bacteria we have is based off of our diet, behaviors and environment. It would be interesting to see the impact of various behavior an environment changes on different bacteria present,how it affects our health and how much is attributable to the behaviors themselves vs. the bacteria.
ReplyDeleteI never really considered the impact the microbiome can have on our health before learning about it and class and reading the article. Although I see the potential in sequencing the genome of gut bacteria and making lifestyle changes to reduce of prevent diseases, a lot more research needs to be done before acting on the knowledge we have about the microbiome at this point. I agree with Ashley in that I don't think sequencing the microbiome would be that beneficial to healthy people without any intestinal diseases. Why waste time and money to understand or change something that isn't harming us? However, with more research, this technique could be useful to people who have a family history or are already affected with such diseases.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I think any treatment that comes out of this should be tailored to the individual considering that the DNA of our intestinal microflora is unique. Pharmaceutical companies can't develop one or two drugs for everyone because optimal microbiome makeup probably varies from person to person. In any case, I have mixed feelings about altering the microbiome that has evolved with us. If we alter our intestinal bacteria to fix one problem, we might create another more troubling one.
Yes, I do believe that people will be able to reduce or prevent disease by sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria. I also do believe that this will be possible by making lifestyle changes according to the genome of their microbiomes. I believe this would prove to be very effective as people would eat foods that would promote the growth of these microbes in their digestive system.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that pharmaceutical companies will develop drugs to change an individual's microbiome make up to prevent or treat disease. A of the pharmaceutical industry is about making money. And I believe that these drugs have a lot of potential for profit. I don't know how pharmaceutical companies would be able to create these drugs since microbiomes are different from one individual to the next. I would be wary of these drugs, in fear that they could change something else other than our microbiomes. I think a more productive intervention would be to change people's eating and exercise habits instead of taping into what's literally inside of us like these microbiomes. Taking drugs to change a person's microbiome makeup does not seem natural to me. It's quite weird if you ask me. I would proceed with much caution when it comes to these drugs. If they end up being produced, I would like to see at least a decade of research into the effects of these drugs, particularly their adverse effects (if any).
The research cited in this article certainly seems to be a major discovery and big step for the field of genomics. I believe that the microbiome is often ignored and under researched in determining how it can affect our health outcomes. However, there are so many factors that influence our health such as the way these microbial agents interact with our human DNA. I’m skeptical that medications involving microbial agents are the answer to major health issues. I do believe that changes in our lifestyle can definitely be helpful, but our genes play a pretty big role in the types of health outcomes we experience.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do believe that pharmaceutical companies will take advantage of this type of research to create new types of drugs. Where there is money to be made these companies will look entice consumers with new products. I just feel that the primary goal should be influence a global change in the way people live, rather than to focus on gut bacteria.
This is such an interesting topic. Just when I believed I had it all figured out, when I believed that our genomes were responsible for everything. That by sequencing and understanding we could figure everything out. Boy was I wrong. I believe that this topic is not only interesting, but also world altering. As great as this research and future discoveries, microbiomes as a topic can seem a bit daunting. There are millions of micro-organisms in and on our body, and each have specific jobs. The Human Genome project is a fingernail compared to the Human Microbiome Project. I’m glad research is going into this topic of study, and I’m looking forward to finding out exactly how these microbiome’s affect our bodies, but I’m worried that this is more complicated than we think. Not only do microbiomes have their own responsibilities taking care of their own micro-organims, but they determine how these organisms interact with other microbiomes and how they interact with us as their host. It’s a complicated topic, and I believe a lot of research needs to be given to these tiny things in order for us to truly make any positive discoveries and advances. If in fact we figure all of these things out, we will have a better understanding just how we work as a whole. Right now we understand how our genes work with our body, but we are missing the microbiome’s role. So this will definitely help in our understanding. I’m curious, because in class we talked about how each individual has a unique microbiome, how a pharmaceutical company will approach prescribing medicine. It seems medicine will become even more individualized and more specific but this may be more difficult for these companies. I think drugs will be able to target and work with these microbiomes but I believe our understanding needs to be greatly enhanced first!
ReplyDeletePrevious to this article my only working knowledge of the gut was how it's effect on athletic populations such as bodybuilders, powerlifters, contact sport athletes etc... could have a significant impact on the efficiency of their body to build lean muscle. When the gut has to put extra effort due to compounds that the individual's body is not compatible with (alcohol, food allergens, etc...) then they're body must take vital recovery assets from the rest of the body to work on the gut. An unhealthy gut also has the effect of having poor absorption of nutrients, further making it harder to put an athletes efforts towards recovery and strength.
ReplyDeleteTo learn that each individual has a gut like a "fingerprint" is extremely interesting and sheds a lot of light on why many nutritional strategies /regimes don't work for everyone and that it is key for individuals to find what compounds their bodies best respond to.
I think that if this article helps people to gain awareness of the vital importance of a healthy gut, then lifestyle changes will surely follow. In any instance, understand your body better on what makes it sick / healthy should be a main aim of any individual looking to promote their longevity. As far as companies developing drugs to change peoples microbiomes to better help prevent disease, I feel like this is an unecessary and slightly risky move. Changing the gut flora of an individual to prevent one disease could radically change their reactions to other factors and may mean they have to reconfigure their lives. Then again, science has a way of proving us wrong about our preconceptions, so it could very well be a viable course of action.
This article was very fascinating to me because I know a number of people who have had to change their lifestyle just because they suffer from one of the diseases mentioned in the article. I also am one who is not familiar with or who has heard about any research being done for the Human Microbiome Project. After reading this article, I was pretty stoked about this whole microbiome sequencing. I find it exciting that bacteria can have such huge effects on ones health and disease. Especially by possibly decreasing their chances of having diseases such as IBS and Crohn’s disease. I believe this is a great development in science and will truly be beneficial if the correct amount of research and information is performed/discovered.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that I thought of as I was reading this article is that the gut it also known as the "second brain". The enteric nervous system consists of a system of neurons that run the gastrointestinal system. So to me, the fact that gut microbiomes are unique to every individual seems to make sense. While I had no idea that this was true, it is definitely very plausible and interesting. The idea of gluten free diets has really taken off in the media lately, but I do know a few people with celiac's disease, who could definitely benefit from sequencing gut microbes DNA. What most interests me is those that have partial gluten or lactose allergies, and those with irritable bowel syndrome. Looking at these types of patients, it makes sense that everyone's gut reacts to food in a very different way.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of preventing disease by sequencing gut microbe DNA and making lifestyle changes seems very beneficial. Patients would be able to find out exactly what type of diet would make them the healthiest, whether it's high in protein and carbs, or higher in fat and lower in carbs could be dependent on their specific gut DNA. However, I think the idea of pharmaceutical companies changing the DNA of gut microbes in a patient's DNA to prevent disease seems like it could be dangerous. We definitely don't know the ramifications of changing an individual's gut microbiomes and it would be hard to control the risks. However, I also think that currently, we are very far from sequencing the entire gut genome of an individual, let alone the entire population. While this is definitely an interesting idea, I don't see it being possible within the next few decades.
Since researchers were able to distinguish individuals by the microbial DNA in their gut even after one year, lifestyle changes can reduce or prevent disease. "The DNA of our microbes is a historical record of the microbial evolution in our bodies." With lifestyle changes and epigenetic factors, microbial evolution can occur for the better. If alterations can effect irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, and even obesity, researchers are in the right direction in following the mircrobiomes in people's guts. Just like our other genetic material, our microbes are inherited genetically (from our mothers during birth) as well as environmentally influenced. Pharmaceutical companies will hopefully be able to change the make-up of microbiomes by developing new drugs that can prevent disease by the interaction of microbes.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of the Human Microbiome concept, and I think this article was very interesting. I think that cataloging and using the information about the human gut could really help out many people, and I think that nutrition could be well tailored to help suit individual needs or desires, and would provide for a lot of very interesting research! However I also do feel that pharmaceutical companies as well as sheisters will try to take advantage of this information and really try to sell people products that may or may not work. Overall, this could be a very beneficial area of research, but we'll have to be careful not to take it too far.
ReplyDeleteResearch on gut bacteria will definitely prove to be beneficial in preventing and curing diseases in the digestive system. I feel as though when further knowledge is gained on these microbiomes, and when successful drugs have been developed, then when individuals have an issue with their digestive system they can go seek sequencing in an attempt to solve the issue. It would be very exciting if technology and research on gut bacteria were so far advanced that we could have our individual microbiomes sequenced at very young ages, and then could find out the best lifestyle/diet plans to promote the best possible health for ourselves. This article really goes to show you that what you consume and how you treat your body not only has significant physical impacts, but also non visible ones.
ReplyDeletePrior to reading this article I was unaware of the research on gut bacteria and how it may prevent or cure disease so I was especially intrigued. To use this information could continue to further the endless possibilities of how research on our genes can make diagnosis happen sooner and more beneficially. I had no idea the gut had as much as an impact on health and the body until reading this article! Many of the diseases listed in the article effect many people I know. For the most part, they change small things about their lifestyles to subdue some of the effects. Knowing more about the digestive system and how it works from these microbiomes could definitely give them more of an insight on how to handle it. As far as pharmaceuticals, it seems as if everybody's bodies react to the diseases and their causes differently, therefore I feel not one single medicine could help each exact disease. Everyone seems to react differently. I think lifestyle changes are the key to impacting your health. Instead of rushing to prescribe medicines, it could be just a simple change to your lifestyle that could really benefit your health. Pharmaceutical companies are a money pit, there will definitely be many new drugs introduced to the market yet I do not think they are necessary. On that note, I don't necessarily think gut sequencing is necessary but it is really interesting and could be beneficial to some people who may not know exactly what is going on with their bodies! It is fascinating to see science keep evolving.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article I got a good understand that this research will be very beneficial and help solve many problems and hopefully even prevent certain diseases from occurring. I agree with Ashley's comment that the role of this type of investigation and the role it can play in our health has been greatly underrepresented. I think that much more research needs to be conducted on this because the differences that individuals respond to a particular drug can be traced to the genetic variation in their microbial genes. Gut bacteria can lead to several diseases such as obesity, irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn's disease. Therefore, it is important for scientists to learn and know how to manipulate our genes so that they can prevent us from developing these disorders later down the line.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that pharmaceutical companies will become a large part in providing individuals with medication to change their microbiome make-up to help them prevent disease because they are always in search of new ways to make profit.
I think this discovery could be useful in dealing with intestinal illnesses as were mentioned in the article like Crohns disease and irritable bowel syndrome. This is very interesting research and I think as time goes on and more research is put in we will definitely see fascinating and positive results. It could be helpful to have your microbiome sequenced in order to discover nutritional issues surrounding an intestinal illness. Providing individuals who suffer from intestinal illness with tips on which lifestyle changes may alleviate their symptoms would be incredibly beneficial. The article also mentions using the microbiome genome sequence to make drugs more affective. Because inefficient drugs and adverse drug reaction accounts for so many wasted health care dollars and unnecessary ER visits this could be extremely helpful and important for pharmacology and public health. Although the findings are incredibly interesting and provide the excitement of new medical discoveries the research is new. There is no way to be certain that microbiome sequencing will be beneficial or cost-efficient until more is known about its uses.
ReplyDeleteThis seems as if this research could be promising in helping to reduce or prevent disease. The stability of the gut bacteria and the genomes that have been studied appear to be a good place to start putting this research into effect. The information that can be gained from this is really interesting and could possibly be very useful to the patients that are tested. It is not a definite solution at this point, but the more information known about a person and disease leads to a greater way to help the person with diagnoses and treatment. However, I do not think pharmaceutical companies will go as far to change a person's microbiome in order to prevent or treat disease. There is much more involved in a person's micro biome than disease and changing the makeup could affect many more things than the disease. Pharmaceutical companies may use the information to better target and treat disease but to actually change a person's microbiome makeup does not seem like the best way of treatment.
ReplyDeleteI think that it's very important to look at the genome of the gut because as it says in the article, an imbalance of microbes can lead to diseases such as Chrones. I am very congruent with the idea that we should listen to our bodies. I am not sure why it seems so difficult to change our behaviors, especially if it can help us prevent diseases and a healthier way of living. I feel like people get very fixed in their ways, and even if they say they want to change, the implementation is very difficult. If we have the opportunity to improve our health based on the genome of our microbiomes, we definitely should take advantage. I think it may be helpful for them to create an organization
ReplyDeletewhere people can help people change their behaviors in a practical way. It should provide a way to learn about the microbiomes of our genomes, but it should also help people implement the proper diet and exercise balance.
I am not sure that pharmaceutical companies will be able to change an individuals microbiome makeup to prevent or treat disease. I think this is beyond the scope of what has been done so far. We should focus on what we can do practically to improve our health. Looking into the future, pharmaceutical companies should be familiar with healthy behaviors to cater for individual microbiomes.
Like most of my classmates who have already posted about the article, I think that more research is needed to be able to bridge findings with applications in humans and everyday life. Particularly larger samples with more subjects and samples, conducted over even longer periods of time, would provide a lot of information about the extent of the microbiome’s impact. I feel like it’s too soon to say how much humans can reduce or prevent disease by making changes according to microbial genes.
ReplyDeleteI see the microbiome and microbial genes as one other factor – among the plethora of factors we already point to (e.g. environment, stress) – in interplay with our own genes. Perhaps the microbial genes are more intimately involved with our genes than other factors, by mere physical proximity. It will be interesting to see how much microbial genes can account for what is seen in humans – that is perhaps something that more research can show us.
Manipulating microbial genes seems risky, especially now when not enough is known, but even later when more is known. I should hope that it can be enough to use information from research on the microbiome and microbial genes to be able to work with what we have and tailor drugs and medicine, rather than change the actual genes.
I liked Jeremy Meltzer’s point about microbiome patents. I could definitely see companies similar to Myriad taking advantage of information derived from research about variations in microbial genes, in the same way human gene variants and information from them are used for profit today.
This article is very interesting and highlights important ways in which the Human Microbiome project can benefit mankind. Research into the different types of natural flora occupying the human gut could in fact give us insight into disease, illness, nutrition and also public health. Such knowledge could, as the article states, create more personalized medicine. However, as my classmates have said, manipulating the genetics of gut flora might be very dangerous. It could in fact have unintended side affects and may negatively affect our natural flora permanently. Our bodies have developed and evolved thus far in ways that are beneficial to our health so why should we go ahead and change it. This research could benefit those who have illnesses such as IBS, however where would the line be drawn? There are many factors that need to be considered pertaining to the implications of this research. Funding is also a factor that I question when it comes to conducting this research. Overall, I think it is difficult to make a concrete health decision based on the makeup of a person’s natural flora. As we know, our flora is frequently changing and therefore would cause a problem when it comes to manipulating gut bacteria to prevent or reduce illness. Because of this, I believe genetic alteration to gut bacteria may not be the best solution and the environment and behavior of each individual should be considered.
ReplyDeleteUnsurprisingly, I’m pretty skeptical of the validity of this study. From the start, I didn’t really understand how the microbes in our body could produce the same DNA profiles over time if the species are constantly changing. This doesn’t make much sense. Additionally, The time frame that this experiment claimed that the DNA remained “constant” is not promising. In some cases, they measured change between two samples given a month apart and in others they compared two samples given 6 to 12 months apart. Firstly, they are only analyzing two samples from each person. This is a very small data collection for each individual and leaves a lot of room for questions. Additionally, in the span of a lifetime, constancy over 6 to 12 months is not saying much, especially not the cases where constancy was observed within 1 month. For me to feel more comfortable about these results, I would need to see constancy over longer periods of time, 5 years for example, and would also like to see more data collections taken from each person. For example, during the course of the 5 years, take a sample every 3 months, providing 20 samples from each individual. I think this would provide more validity to the results.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, the article comments on how we obtain more kinds of microbes over time from our mothers and from environmental experiences. How could this provide constant DNA samples then? When collecting data from people, did they take into account important life events such as how the microbes in a woman’s body might change during a pregnancy and after? What about if a person developed cancer and had chemotherapy?
I think that the implications of being able to use the microbial DNA to adjust medications and prescribe effective treatments could be useful, but I just think there simply needs to be more studies done to really prove how helpful microbial DNA could be.
Personally, I believe that there is a lot of research to be completed in this realm of science before the its results will help reduce or prevent disease. This article merely shows that we each have our own individual types of bacteria residing in our guts--that our bacteria has grown with us and adapted with us, on an individual level. It is possible that in the future, once more is known about microbiomes and variation implications, that we will alter preventive measures and treatment actions based on our microbiome sequences. But, the research is far from this point. Now that they're starting to document different variations, they need to associate those variations with specific outcomes.
ReplyDeleteAs for the pharmaceutical role, I think DTC companies will pop up first, before the research is complete. But, again, I feel like any practical use for this technology or medicine is many, many years down the line.
It is a fascinating concept that the scientists involved in the Human Microbiome Project have successfully mapped all of the microorganisms that live in the Human Body. Also, the variability of genetic material from one person's microbiomes to another can certainly offer clues into the ideal dietary and supplementary tracts that one should follow. However, I don't think that the general public is going to jump at the opportunity to have their microbiomes sequenced for this purpose. Most people already realize what diet is considered healthy as opposed to harmful. Although genetic material of the microbiomes may be different for everyone, the study of nutrition science remains pretty standard among our species. Therefore, I don't think people will find it necessary to explore the genetic material of their microbiomes, unless people are interested in tracing their evolution from their ancestors. This technology could have a significant use in tracking historical lineages through dietary means. It may be able to verify relatedness between ancient people and modern day ancestors, and may reveal certain facts that were unavailable before. As for pharmaceutical companies, it may be difficult to produce various forms of drugs to cater to people's specific microbiome genetic make up. Since everyone's has distinct characteristics, something that works for an individual may not work for someone else. All in all, these new findings can hold a great deal of potential in a variety of fields, not just nutrition and pharmacology.
ReplyDeleteThis article’s future plans or hopes seem to point out that with the discoveries the DNA of microbiomes in the gut, that science can get into preventing diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome and Crohn’s disease. Like the article states, they are still at the beginning stages on understanding how this vast collection of organisms shapes our lives. Which also means that more research is necessary, more information needs to be provided before taking steps in trying to prevent diseases by manipulating genes. I’m not trying to shut this idea down completely it’s just that at this stage there needs to be more information. But once they are able to target these certain genes and people can get a sense of how their lifestyle behaviors are affecting their genes then this would beneficial. If they find a reasonable treatment that would likely guarantee positive results then I wouldn’t see why not change an individual’s microbiome makeup, especially since it’s benefiting their health. This is an obvious decision that the patient has to make but it’s something to consider since it would have the purpose of prevention. There is always going to be competition between pharmaceutical companies and once this opportunity to create a certain drug comes up I think it would be a huge topic. Once one company is able to successfully make a drug is when they start monopolizing on the idea just like the patents on certain genes discussed in class and on the blog previously to this. If it’s not a new drug that is a method for prevention, after these discoveries become more concrete is when education for behavioral or even environmental changes can occur for patients at risk as well.
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ReplyDeleteThis article has made me think about bacteria in a different way. Rather than viewing bacteria as negative and bad for the human body, through this article we can see how bacteria may actually benefit us and most importantly, our health. From last Tuesday’s lecture, Professor Chan has touched on this subject and this article has elaborated on the fact that the microbiomes in our gut may identify individuals in the same way as human DNA.
ReplyDeleteAs the article suggests, I think that the study of the microbiomes in our bodies may lead to reduce or prevent disease. However, more research needs to be conducted to further validate this claim in order for people to be sure about making lifestyle changes according to the genome of their microbiomes. Additionally, mre research would also be able to possibly see whether manipulating the genes in our gut will be dangerous or not. However, if in the future this theory is plausible, I think that pharmaceutical companies will develop drugs to change the individual’s microbiome make up to prevent or treat disease. Not only will this be a good and profitable business venture, but it will also be beneficial to human beings if indeed this idea is valid. For example, we already have probiotics and yogurt products available to help aid our digestive systems.
After reading this article I was very surprised at how much of our body is composed of microbes and how much interaction goes on between these microbes and human cells. I believe this information is valuable in enhancing the health of humans, but I do not necessarily think that we should alter the genome of our microbiomes. From reading this article I feel like there are still way too many unknowns about the interactions of these microbes. Scientists are still constantly discovering new things such as the fact that healthy people are found to be living with harmful bacteria present within their bodies. Also the fact that these microbiomes are constantly evolving with the person I think it will be complicated for a pharmaceutical company to develop these drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think that this is good idea in theory and would be beneficial in an idea world. But I think it is slightly unrealistic to think that people will make life changes based on the genome of their microbiomes. I don’t think that the potential benefits are strong enough to justify the cost it would take to sequence a person’s microbiome. It is not doubt interesting, but I don’t think the time and cost and effort can really be justified. It does not seem like having this information will allow us to make significant medical changes or discoveries. I think like some people already mentioned, that if anything the research may show that things like eating healthy and exercising and taking care of your body can improve your health, which is already an established fact. Additionally, some people mentioned the opportunity for DTC testing that may arise for microbiomes if research is done. As we discussed, the DTC testing market is subject to criticism and I don’t think a DTC microbiome test needs to be added to the debate.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting idea to go the route of the microbiome to possibly look for ways to cure disease. It's something I wouldn't have originally even though was possible before learning about this last week in the course.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I do think this is innovative and a new way of thinking about the situation, I don't think that this is the direction drug companies are going to go. This is for a couple of important reasons. People's bacteria varies widely person to person. I don't think it would be cost effective to develop certain drugs to produce certain effects because it would not be able to be generalizable to the population. There are so many different types of bacteria varying from person to person on the skin and in their gut. I don't think it would even be possible to make a drug that pertained to enough people.
Although I said it is an innovative way of thinking, I don't know if it could be used in a cost effective way.
Alexandra Kramer
ReplyDeleteI don't think I really see the point in doing research in this field. I believe there are much more stable ways of researching and discovering ways to find cures or prevention to diseases. I also don't like how this is yet another excuse for obesity. Maybe there are other factors that contribute to obesity besides lifestyle and eating habits, however not enough to tell people they don't have control over their bodies. I think at some point people try to look to deeply into this type of information, looking for facts that don't necessarily need to be looked for. Not everything in our lives is predetermined by genes and bacteria. We can and should learn to control what we do because a lot of our actions will affect our health.
On the other hand, I agree with some of my classmates when they say it is interesting to look at bacteria in a different light. As I am finishing up my classes at BU, I am learning more and more about different ways of viewing science, and this is definitely unique and interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think people will be able to reduce or prevent disease by sequencing their gut bacteria and making lifestyle changes. We are already learning so much about the benefits of the combination certain bacterias and our body. As the article states, many of the bacteria in and on our body is capable of reducing inflammation and aiding in vitamin synthesizing. People could sequence their gut bacteria and essential get assessed for what bacteria they need in order to achieve an improved health status. Pharmaceutical companies will probably start selling drugs to change an individual's microbiome. Even now we have various companies selling probiotics with the promise of improving health. I believe in a few short years we will see these probiotics becoming more specific and perhaps geared towards particular diseases or conditions. Pharmaceutical companies may begin selling particular bacteria combinations or drugs geared towards reducing/improving gut bacteria to offer an improved health outcome. I feel this is a crucial new area of research towards gaining a better understanding of all of the contributors to disease.
This article was very interesting to read. I believe that if scientists think that sequencing a human genome will prevent disease, then sequencing their gut microbiome will also help prevent disease, especially gastrointestinal diseases. The gut microbiome is unique for every person, but I think that generally speaking, preventive measures such as eating right, and exercising can probably be generalized to improving everyone's GI tract; however, sometimes people suffer from very specific diseases, and those people would probably benefit the most from getting their gut microbiome sequenced.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if Pharmaceutical companies will start selling drugs to change a person's gut microbiome. It seems to me that developing a drug that JUST changes your gut microbiome is impossible, seeing as your gut microbiome is constantly developing and changing with you as you grow. If you change the sequence of the gut microbiome, there might be some serious consequences for the other bacteria that dwell in the other parts of your body. I can see pharmaceutical companies using the sequenced gut bacteria to enhance the effects of their drugs that counteract bad bacteria, and infections, but I don't think they will want to change the sequence of the gut microbiome.
Before this class, I knew that there was a lot of bacteria in our body and in our gut, but I was surprised to learn that our microbiomes were unique to each person. I would have assumed that our microbiomes easily changed based on the types of bacteria that we were exposed to, and that people had similar microbiome make-ups. I think that it is important to do more research into our individual microbiomes.
ReplyDeleteThe article mentioned that the specific DNA sequence of our gut bacteria plays a role in some diseases such as Crohn's disease and obesity. For this reason, I believe that the sequencing of the genome of our gut bacteria could help reduce or prevent certain chronic illnesses. By discovering that they are at a higher risk for a disease, the patient can make changes in diet and lifestyle to reduce risk.
I am not sure how easy it would be for pharmaceutical companies to alter an individual's microbiome make-up enough to treat disease. In class we mentioned that our microbiomes change throughout our lives, but I do not know how much it changes. The article mentions that over a year, the microbiome only altered very slightly, so I wonder if a microbiome changes in only small amounts throughout the years. In twenty years, how similar would the microbiome make-up be? How would out bodies react to a major change in an individual's microbiome make-up? While I think that it would be a great opportunity to reduce and prevent disease through drugs that impact the microbiome, I wonder on how the body would react. Since each of our microbiomes is unique, would any drastic changes from drugs to prevent a chronic disease affect another interaction between our gut bacteria and our bodies? I believe that drugs impacting our microbiomes are a great opportunity and possible solution to some problems, but that there should be more research into the area first.
Understanding the human microbiome is one of the most interesting applications of genomics that we have studied yet. This seems to be a surprisingly underdeveloped field. The importance of developing the microbiome seems to be well understood for infants. Mothers are asked to breastfeed, even against their wishes, for a minimum of the first 3-5 days postpartum so the baby can receive the colostrum – a fluid filled with microbes and antibodies to fill the infant’s sterile GI tract. Colostrum is known to be so important but also it is not completely understood. There is no form of synthetic (or formula) that compares.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, as this article suggests, understanding the conception and development of the human microbiome throughout one’s lifetime can help to understand health and disease. Hopefully this research can also help to understand why there has been such a dramatic rise in food intolerances over the last fifteen years or so. I would also be curious to learn the difference in development of the human microbiome for someone who has had a completely organic and natural diet versus someone who lives in a world where most food is processed and genetically modified.
It seems to be putting the carriage before the horse to ask how understanding the human microbiome can influence the affect of prescription drugs on individuals. There seems to be a lot more that needs to be understood about the composition and development of the human microbiome first before the question of application can really be answered completely.
It is incredible that researchers have progressed to sequence the genes of bacteria. I think that there needs to be much more research before people are able to use the information to prevent or reduce disease though. Even with knowledge of sequencing human DNA, prevention of disease using the human genome isn’t perfect and much more research is needed. Therefore, using bacteria DNA has a far way to come!
ReplyDeleteMaking lifestyle changes, on the other hand, is something that people can always do. Knowing what influences the correlation between bacteria and human genetics, people can make lifestyle changes. However, I don’t think this is impressive since lifestyle changes to be healthy are pretty much obvious in this day. Besides the influence of bacteria DNA, there are logical lifestyle changes that everyone knows to better themselves.
Yes, pharmaceutical companies will develop drugs to changes an individual’s microbiome. Especially DTC companies will take advantage of this. There are already DTC companies booming to advertise products to change our human genome and relating it to changing a character trait or disease. Therefore, DTC companies will definitely be eager to link microbiome sequencing to some human disease and sell a product claiming to prevent or cure that disease.
This is an incredibly interesting article. The gut and skin are definitely areas that have yet to be explored in the human body. As genetic research gets deeper and deeper, it is no wonder that these massive organs and their microbiome become of interest. Bacteria are extremely interesting creatures. Although this may be a stretch, I have experienced many times that tap water from other developed countries (Switzerland, Austria etc.) has made American tourists sick. Although the water is as clean as you would find here, sometimes "cleaner," the natural bacteria in the water does not sit with an American's gut bacteria and has caused diarrhea. It makes me wonder how the bacteria in our guts become the way they are. Is it the diet you have during development? Is it simple genetics? Does your behavior influence the genetics of your gut? These are all questions that I think have truly to be explored.
ReplyDeleteAs to whether ID-ing the genomes of your bacteria could help fight disease- I certainly think that is possible. Every bacteria is unique to every person which means that it could be a real clue into what is going on inside a person's body. Everyone eats different foods and responds to them differently; everyone has different tastes. This is an extremely interesting proposition. However, I do think it could also potentially have the reverse effect. What I mean by that is, changing the bacteria of the gut or trying to rid your body of some could have dramatic effects. Scientists are well aware of just how important for protection some bacteria are. Basically, this prospect is too new to advocate or condemn it. More data has to be seen- but anything is possible!
This article and the links it provides to further studies on the bacteria living inside us are quite fascinating. It seems that there have been discoveries made which indicate that the bacteria of our microbiome play an important role in our health- they impact our immune system function, protect our digestive tract, and even may impact the way we burn fat. According to the article, the genome of the microbiome has been completely sequenced. The next step, then, would be to understand how these variations in the microbiome impact how the bacteria in our bodies affect our health processes. The study which compares germ free mice to regular mice has some indications into how these bacteria might play in to our ability to burn fat. If we could delve further into this, we might be able to target the specific bacteria preventing efficient fat metabolism in humans to assist with weight loss.
ReplyDeleteI could certainly see pharmaceutical companies jumping on the opportunity to market drugs which alter our microbiome. According to recent research, it seems that we are still a few steps away from accurately being able to create a treatment that alters our microbiome to help us lose weight, prevent disease, and to be more healthy. However, this does not mean that pharmaceutical companies will wait until those advancements have been made and proven to be accurate. I'm sure we will see some marketing of drugs that claim to do something like this in the near future, but it may be a much longer time until those drugs are truly successful. I believe this will become another way that the pharmaceutical industry will take advantage of uninformed customers. This research should be well published and advertised so that individuals can have an accurate understanding of where the research is truly at when considering treatments that may become available in the future.
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ReplyDeleteThis article brings up a very interesting look at the importance of indivdual microbiomes. This has to do with how everyone has different ways of reacting to the way they eat and also the drugs and medications they take and how they react to all these things differently. Since the detailed research of microbiomes and their relation to our health is still in it's starting phases there is still much to learn. In the future sequencing and structuring lifestyle changes based on individual microbiomes can be a possibility and can have many benefits for the different ways people react to they way they eat and take medical treatments. This can also have a lasting effect on the way pharmaceutical companies tailor their drugs to individuals. It can help to specify the way certain people react to drugs and the variety will allow for people to choose according to their needs. This can also be seen as a negative aspect because without sufficient research pharmaceutical companies can make claims about the benefits of their drugs to people's microbiomes without having the information to back it up. Nonetheless, this field should be one to keep on the look out as it can have lasting effects on the way we think our microbiomes effect our health.
ReplyDeleteThis article in MedicalNewsToday.com, entitled “DNA Of Gut Microbes Has Unique Fingerprint,” discusses something I have never heard of before and was thus a very exciting piece to read. New research suggests the DNA of the vast collection of microbes in the gut has a unique fingerprint that can identify individuals in the same way as human DNA. The researchers, from Washington University School of Medicine the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, are believed to be the first to catalogue the genetic variation of microbes that live in the gut. This is so exciting, and can already think of how this could potentially change the lives of many in the future. We are beginning to learn how our microbial genes work together with our human genes to keep us healthy and, in some cases, cause disease. I enjoyed a response by George Weinstock, associate director of The Genome Institute at Washington University and corresponding author of the new Nature study, where he explains that the gut microbiome is an individualized collection, completely analogous to our human genome.” This line really makes me thing about how important future research could potentially be down the road. The team also discovered that the DNA of the gut microbiome remains stable over time, observing stool samples from an average of six to twelve months apart. Though I believe this to be true, I wonder how the microbiome changes over the course of a lifetime. According to an animal study published in the Journal of Proteome Research, gut bacteria may even play a role in obesity. Though this could be the case in years to come, such an association cannot possibly be made right now with such little research. Obesity is all about lifestyle, and I agree completely with Alexandra Vastano’s post, saying “With lifestyle includes, social interactions, food, and environment and can collectively be detrimental to one’s health.” In this article, they hope further studies of the gut microbiome will help scientists find out how to manipulate their genes to improve human health and make drugs more effective. Like many of the other students have said, this worries me, because of the possible side effects this could have, as well as simply the amount of power these pharmaceutical companies would have. I enjoyed Jillian Allen’s post, where she said, “The microorganisms on our skin and in our bodies is there for a reason. Manipulating this could potentially cause more harm than good, especially through pharmaceuticals and their long term affects.” It is true; we do not call it the natural flora for nothing! I want to end my post with a line from Ervin Rivera, where he wonders, “how beneficial it would be to temper with something that is so natural and symbiotic.” I wonder as well, Ervin.
ReplyDeleteGut bacteria is often a thing that we forget about and gets overlooked. These bacteria are essential for digestive health and should be considered. I don’t think that trying to manipulate these microbes is a good idea because they are in an essential balance with the rest of the human body. I don’t think that people will necessarily be able to reduce or prevent disease by sequencing these bacteria, and again I do not think that pharmaceutical companies should be trying to manipulate them without knowing the side effects. I worry because these bacteria are in our gut, and there is not enough research about how doing so will benefit the patient.
ReplyDeleteI think that this research is very interesting and has the potential to benefit many fields of medicine. I am curious to watch this field in the future, however at this point I feel like we just do not have enough information.
This article is very intriguing. I am leaning towards a negative view of the application for these discoveries. While it is interesting to see that there are microbes in our bodies that are unique to us, in regards to changing their DNA, I can see a lot of problems that could come out of it. Since this information is relatively new, we do not have an extensive enough idea of how each microbiol group interacts with our bodies. I do no know anything on this subject, but it would appear to me that our bodies know what they are doing in conjunction with the bacteria so that we are always at an equilibrium. I'm not sure if it would be possible to alter the microbes in a way that would then cause gene suppression of diseases we are at risk for. Even though they interact with us, I find it hard to see that if I am predisposed to breast cancer that alteration of the bacteria in my body could prevent it. Perhaps diseases like that are not the target for this kind of thing, but in any case I can't see how it could help prevent diseases that certain people are just more likely to get.
ReplyDeleteIf disease happens when we are out of equilibrium, what happens when the genetic makeup of the microbe is different all of a sudden? It all seems very delicate and something we should not tamper with. However, if the function of some microbes are known to do positive or negative things within our bodies, changing lifestyle to help them either do their job well or diminish negative effects sounds plausible. We already eat yogurt for this purpose. Helping the microbes do what they already do sounds like a much better thing than to tamper with them directly.
This article sheds light on an entirely new branch of health science. While I'm amazed by the introduction to this new kind of research, I think it makes sense that our gut microbiomes' genes evolve with ours. It's interesting that the gut microbial DNA stay stable over time because while they're constantly changing to their environment - and are even developing as a species over time - they still retain similar genes. The fact that our microbial DNA evolves with us makes me think that these bacteria are part of our bodies for a reason. I've always heard that the human body contains more bacterial cells than human cells, but perhaps that's how and why we function the way we do as human beings. Perhaps it was an evolutionary advantage to have these bacteria live in and on us. And if this is the case, it makes complete sense for these bacteria to evolve with us - we are in a constant and stable symbiotic relationship with these microbiomes.
ReplyDeleteOn this note, it would be extremely beneficial for scientists to continue research to fight disease by sequencing gut bacteria genes. If variations in our microbial genes also affect how our bodies react to certain drugs or nutrients, it seems just as relevant as a target as human genes are. Individuals' genes vary in infinite ways, and while introducing microbial DNA to the mix is going to exponentially increase the variations in developing drugs to treat certain diseases it would make a lot of sense to do so. These gut microbiomes play a large role by interacting with our human genomes as well as our physical bodies. Why shouldn't we take advantage of this new discovery by embracing the relevance of gut microbial DNA on our human bodies?
I believe that if we can educate people on genetics and the role their gut bacteria can play in their health outcomes, then health conscious people will try to reduce and prevent diseases. But it will be a while before this happens because the field is relatively new and not fully understood yet by the scientific community and the general public. I think it would be beneficial for pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs that can complement an individual's microbiome to prevent and treat disease, because it would create better outcomes if we can find how the microbiome will specifically respond to the drug.
ReplyDeleteHowever I do not believe that pharmaceutical companies will do this because I would imagine that it would be very expensive to tailor a drug to a specific microbiome. Unless they can figure out how many different microbiomes exists and if it is profitable for them, then I do not imagine this happening anytime soon.
I think there is a benefit to identifying possible correlations between specific microbiome variants and disease, although from this article that seems a ways off. I think individuals with a family history of crohns disease or obesity could benefit from this research, if there was a proven way to influence the genome of their gut bacteria enough to prevent or reduce the affects off these illnesses. However, I agree with previous comments that this information can be easily misinterpreted. I would be wary of individuals blaming health problems, specefically obesity, on genetic variants of the microbiome, potentially using this as a scapegoat when the primary prevention method is behavior change. Pharmaceutical companies may develop drugs to manipulate the gut microbiome to allow drugs to be more effective; whether it be in the way they are broken down or absorbed in the body. I’m not convinced that this is the best route to prevent disease though. As the microbiome is compromised of such a large number of microorganisms and each is individualized, it would be difficult to ensure the same drug would react the same way in each person, and therefore may cause unintended effects.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I found it so interesting that our microbiome has a “genetic signature” and is individualized to every person and consistent their entire life. By making lifestyle changes according to the results of their sequencing people may be able to reduce their chances of disease, but I think this will be especially applicable for obesity. However, I think this research is most important to how our body metabolizes drugs.
ReplyDeleteI am very excited to see what further research discovers in regards to the microbiome and making drugs more effective as well as manipulating genes to improve human health. I think the information they have already found as well as what they will find will be extremely helpful to increase the potency and influence of drugs. Especially the drugs that treat diseases and conditions in the digestive system, this new research can mean big changes for those living with those conditions. Increasing the drugs ability to reach its target or manipulating the microbiome so the drug may be more potent means that the drugs can be less powerful and potentially cause fewer or less severe side effects. The only downside I see to this new technology is that it will likely be more expensive and complicated. If everyone has their own specific microbiome makeup then pharmaceutical companies are going to have to make specific combinations for each and every person. If it is too expensive people will not want to undergo the treatment or insurance wouldn’t cover it. If pharmaceutical companies can find a way to develop these drugs in a way that is more reasonable then I think it will have a chance to become successful.
I found the information presented in this article astounding. I knew everyone had some microbes in their bodies that aid in digestion and support the immune system but I had no idea to what extent. Finding out in class last week and it was also mentioned in this article that microbes outnumber human cells is quite intriguing. Considering the major contributions mapping the human genome has made to genomics and understanding our DNA I think mapping the human microbiome can also make large contributions to understanding the human body. The article mentioned that there may be a link between bacteria in the gut and crohn's disease and irritable bowel syndrome and this so far sounds the most promising. Since these conditions can have a serious impact on the lives of those suffering from them, researchers should work to put effort into making a drug that can correct this bacterial imbalance.
ReplyDeleteThe microbiome consists of microorganisms that outnumber human cells by 10 to 1? Now this is something I found very interesting. Prior to reading this article, I thought I had some general understanding of what these microorganisms do in our living bodies, but I never realized their importance to the extent covered in this article, as well as in class. Although the information in this article is intriguing, I personally do not believe that people should go to the extent of sequencing the genome of their gut bacteria and then making lifestyle changes based off of that. I think this first part of genome sequencing can be surpassed and that individuals should simply understand that by eating healthy foods and exercising regularly will benefit the system of that individual as a whole. Of course, I am not ruling out the option of sequencing the genome of an individuals gut bacteria, as I believe it would still provide great insight as to what exactly is happening in that persons gut with further detail. However, I am not convinced that it is exactly a necessity. I DO believe though, that pharmaceutical companies have the potential to start taking advantage and capitalizing off the research presented in this article. I definitely believe that there is a strong possibility that pharmaceutical companies will soon begin developing drugs to change an individual's micro biome if, and only if, there is actually strong reasons and research to conclude that these drugs would prevent and possibly treat disease. If the outcome at the end is not as desired, then it's hard to believe that pharmaceutical companies would bother wasting their efforts into developing these specific drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think more research needs to be done, but the potential implications are boundless in regards to gut bacteria. Research towards the relationship between the gut's microbe's genetic makeup and the rest of the body needs to be performed. However, as evidence mentioned in the "Journal of Proteome Research" suggests, there clearly are potential benefits to having genetic knowledge of the gut's bacteria; perhaps eating cultured yogurt, for example, may be pushed to the forefront of nutrition because of its (I am merely making a potential example, not a concrete) ability to change the GI's bacterial composition.
ReplyDeletePerhaps another example that will help influence humans is the knowledge that the majority of serotonin is produced in the gut; depression, for example, if it were linked to genetic issues in microbiomes in the gut, could have a completely different medication in the future. ( http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3272651/)
While I personally believe that more research needs to be done, I am unsure of how pharmaceuticals will approach this issue. Perhaps viral vector delivery systems could be utilized in the future to modify genetic material in our for benefit.