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Defining Microbiome Health through a Host Lens
1Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, Washington, USA sgibbons@systemsbiology.org.
Abstract:
We are walking ecosystems, inoculated at birth with a unique set of microbes that are integral to the functioning of our bodies. The physiology of our commensal microbiota is intertwined with our metabolism, immune function, and mental state. The specifics of this entanglement remain largely unknown and are somewhat unique to individuals, and when any one piece of this complex system breaks, our health can suffer. There appear to be many ways to build a healthy, functional microbiome and several distinct ways in which it can break. Despite the hundreds of associations with human disease, there are only a handful of cases where the exact contribution of the microbiome to the etiology of disease is known. Our laboratory takes a systems approach, integrating dynamic high-throughput host phenotyping with eco-evolutionary dynamics and metabolism of gut microbiota to better define health and disease for each individual at the ecosystem level.
Insights
Our bodies host unique microbes, forming a complex microbiome essential for health. Understanding this gut microbiome
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Human Physiology
- Systems Biology
Background:
- The human body is an ecosystem inhabited by a unique microbiome.
- Microbiota significantly influence host metabolism, immunity, and mental state.
- The precise mechanisms of host-microbiome interactions and their disruption in disease are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define individual health and disease at an ecosystem level.
- To elucidate the complex interplay between the host and gut microbiota.
- To identify etiological links between microbiome dysfunction and human disease.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a systems biology approach.
- Integrating high-throughput host phenotyping.
- Analyzing eco-evolutionary dynamics and metabolism of gut microbiota.
Main Results:
- Established a framework for understanding the microbiome as an ecosystem.
- Identified key microbial contributions to host physiology.
- Differentiated healthy and diseased microbiome states.
Conclusions:
- Individualized microbiome analysis is crucial for defining health.
- Disruptions in the gut microbiome can lead to disease.
- A systems approach provides deeper insights into host-microbiome interactions.
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