Ethical design as a prerequisite for translational microbiome science

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Global Health
• Research Ethics

Background:

• Human microbiome research is globally expanding but heavily concentrated in the Global North.
• This geographical and institutional imbalance risks scientific validity due to unaddressed socio-ecological and temporal microbiome variations.
• Biased research may lead to diagnostics and therapeutics ineffective for diverse global populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To advocate for ethical, interdisciplinary, and locally-led human microbiome research models.
• To propose frameworks that center community participation, context-rich data, and equitable authorship.
• To identify structural requirements for implementing equitable research practices and advancing global health equity.

Main Methods:

• Engaging with existing co-laboration frameworks (van Daele et al.).
• Proposing ethical research models emphasizing community-centered approaches.
• Outlining necessary structural components including governance, funding, and accountability.

Main Results:

• Identified significant imbalance in global microbiome research leadership and sample origin.
• Highlighted risks to scientific validity and applicability of findings due to this imbalance.
• Proposed a framework for equitable, locally-led research with community at its core.

Conclusions:

• Addressing the Global North dominance in microbiome research is essential for scientific integrity.
• Implementing ethical, community-centered, and locally-led research models is critical.
• Structural changes in governance, funding, and accountability are required to achieve global health equity in microbiome science.