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Establishing the ELIXIR Microbiome Community
Robert D Finn1, Bachir Balech2, Josephine Burgin1
1European Bioinformatics Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Hinxton, UK.
F1000Research
|September 19, 2025
Summary
Microbiome research is expanding, with advanced
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bioinformatics
- Genomics
Background:
- Microbiome research has significantly advanced, utilizing techniques like metagenomics, metabarcoding, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics to explore microbial biodiversity.
- The ELIXIR Marine Metagenomics Community has focused on establishing standards for analyzing microbiome sequence data and addressing challenges in methods and reference databases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To expand the ELIXIR Marine Metagenomics Community to a broader ELIXIR Microbiome Community, encompassing diverse biomes.
- To foster collaboration across various 'omics technologies and improve bioinformatics infrastructure for microbiome research.
Main Methods:
- Leveraging advanced 'omics technologies (metagenomics, metabarcoding, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics) for microbial biodiversity analysis.
- Developing and promoting standards for microbiome sequence data analysis.
- Identifying and addressing gaps in methods and reference databases for microbiome research.
Main Results:
- Insights into microbial biodiversity through advanced 'omics approaches.
- Established standards for microbiome sequence analysis.
- Identified challenges and solutions for computational aspects of microbiome research.
Conclusions:
- Expanding the community to include diverse biomes will enhance collaboration and resource sustainability.
- A unified Microbiome Community will improve bioinformatics infrastructure, leading to a deeper understanding of microbial communities.
- Standardization and resource development are crucial for advancing microbiome research across all biomes.
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