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New technologies for developing phage-based tools to manipulate the human microbiome.
Mohammadali Khan Mirzaei1, Li Deng1
1Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Centre Munich and Technical University of Munich, Neuherberg, Bavaria 85764, Germany.
Trends in Microbiology
|May 21, 2021
Summary
Manipulating gut bacteria precisely is key for health. New cultivation-independent technologies and phage-based tools offer safe ways to target specific gut bacteria, restoring a healthy microbiome and treating diseases.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology and Human Health
- Gut Microbiome Research
- Bacteriophage Therapeutics
Background:
- Gut bacteria are crucial for human health, regulating metabolism, immunity, and pathogen defense.
- Alterations in gut microbial community structure are associated with various gastrointestinal and non-gastrointestinal diseases.
- Safe and precise manipulation of gut bacteria is necessary to avoid unintended long-term consequences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review recent advances in cultivation-independent technologies for microbiome analysis.
- To highlight the application of these technologies in identifying targets for microbiome modulation.
- To discuss the development and potential of phage-based tools for precise gut bacteria modulation.
Main Methods:
- Review of cultivation-independent technologies for microbiome profiling.
- Analysis of strategies for identifying specific bacterial targets for modulation.
- Exploration of bacteriophage-based approaches for precise bacterial manipulation.
Main Results:
- Cultivation-independent technologies are vital for understanding microbiome dynamics.
- Phage-based tools show promise for precisely targeting and modulating specific gut bacteria.
- These advancements facilitate the development of strategies to restore a sustainable human microbiome.
Conclusions:
- Precise modulation of the gut microbiome is achievable with advanced technologies.
- Phage-based interventions offer a promising avenue for treating dysbiosis-associated diseases.
- Targeted microbiome restoration is essential for improving human health outcomes.
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