THE HUMAN MICROBIOME
The Invisible Network
How can this Research be Applied?
Metagenomics / Metabolomics
Metagenomics allows scientists to analyze a complete collection of microbes without cultivating them. Considering the vast majority of the microorganisms in the human microbiome are unidentified, utilizing metagenomics will allow scientists to locate and examine these missing microbes. With this research, connections between diseases and the microbiome can be drawn. [A.1]
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Understanding the gut flora and "identifying these markers could enhance early detection of diseases." In addition to this, "identification of these metabolic fingerprints could give us clues as to how to manipulate the microbiome to promote health or treat diseases." [A.2].
Economic Impact
There are trillions of microbes in each body, and no microbiome is the same. This exploration of identification would take more than 10 years. Furthermore, each run would cost around $1700 dollars, leaving the total price at a very high amount.
Personalized Medicine
Personalized medicine is exactly what the name sounds like. Medicine with certain conditions, genes, lifestyles, and environments taken into account to the treatments.
"We can imagine a future in which routinely analyzing the microbiome allows us to predict individualized responses to different foods and drugs... Moreover, improved understanding of the human microbiome could lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for different diseases." [A.2]
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Economic / Social Impact
[A.4]
Despite this future being 'imaginable', not every country or individual can afford what is presumed to be a very expensive microbiome analytic. The average person in America would not be able to pay for such an extensive test. Those who are rich will pay with ease but a working class American will struggle to pay for an essential test.
Gene Editing
CRISPR, acronym for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a new techonolgy used to stretch DNA and edit specific genes. Scientists are focusing on manipulating the bacteria in our bodies. Just like turning off genes, they can develop how to turn off bacteria that cause diseases.
According to Broad Institute "researchers can permanently modify genes in living cells and organisms and, in the future, may make it possible to correct mutations at precise locations in the human genome in order to treat genetic causes of disease." [A.3]
Feng Zhang explains how CRISPR works. [A.5]
Economic / Social Impact
Disease can be prevented before it even starts. However, this research and equipment do not come cheaply. Yes, lives will be saved, however only the lives of those who can afford the expensive treatments. Lower class individuals who struggle much more than upper class will unfortunately have no access to this technology.