Current State of Microbiome Research

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Introduction

Numerous varieties of microbes are present in most, if not all, multi-cellular organisms. Some of them can be harmful and cause potentially life-threatening illnesses, but many reside in specific parts of the body and work symbiotically with it. Collectively, all of these organisms form a complex, interrelated structure known as the microbiome. With the recent advances in technology, researchers became able to assess these environments in detail and affect them in specific ways.

They have found that microbiomes are often essential to the proper functioning of the human body. As such, scholars have set out to learn more about the relationship between various bodily systems and the microbes that reside in the body. This paper will summarize their current findings, their applications in medicine, and future avenues for research and advancement of medicine.

Current Knowledge About Microbiomes

The invention of antibiotics was a large leap forward for humanity that helped it overcome many dangerous diseases. However, they were associated with significant adverse effects, nausea, in particular, that lowered their popularity. The reason, as indicated by Kosyakovsky (2017), is that over half of the body cell count is taken by beneficial bacteria, which die to the drug and create side effects. With the current advancements in technology, scientists have become able to study these communities and learn how to manipulate them.

The emergence of in situ engineering, as illustrated by Sheth, Cabral, Chen, and Wang (2016), was another important step for assessing microbiomes that cannot be reproduced out of their natural habitat. As a result, experimentation into the manipulation of internal microbial colonies and their effects when combined with various treatments took place, creating noteworthy results and fueling the rapid growth of the field.

Researchers have found many different applications in several fields of medicine, and more are likely to emerge in the future. The primary utility of microbiomes is their ability to enable precision medicine through techniques such as the targeting of specific enzymes (Kuntz and Gilbert, 2017). These formations would only be present in specific microbes that serve a particular purpose or are concentrated in a location. As a result, medicine delivered there would change their behavior or affect the area without affecting other organs significantly. Many fields can benefit from such an approach, particularly those that use drugs with numerous interactions. Kosyakovski (2017) identifies cardiology, psychiatry, immunology, and oncology as fields of particular interest for current research. The last two will be covered in detail, and the former two will be discussed more briefly along with additional applications in the following sections.

Microbiomes in Immunology

Microbiomes, particularly those in the gut, have a double-sided relationship with the immune system. According to Richarson, Kerna, and Tulp (2018), they warn about the presence of pathogens while also being under threat of getting targeted unless the body develops to recognize them as non-harmful early on. The failure of either system can have a severe adverse effect on the person. The body’s functions may be disrupted, or a condition may develop unchecked until it is too late.

However, microbiomes also have noteworthy implications for the treatment of illness. Donia (2015) highlights the potential for a reliable and precise delivery system for drugs and the potential manipulation of bacteria to enable the production of medicine within the body in response to pathogens. These methods would improve treatment quality and enable patients’ bodies to deal with some conditions without the need to pay for medicine or refer to care institutions.

With that said, these treatments are still mostly theoretical and will likely require a substantial amount of time before they can be implemented. Some developments in microbiome research may not sound as impressive, but they are considerably closer to the implementation stage. Volkmann and Hoffman-Vold (2019) discuss the modification of microbiota in patients affected by systemic sclerosis, an autoimmune condition, to relieve some of the complications.

There are likely other illnesses that can be alleviated through the use of similar methods. Conditions that are associated with microbiome issues would be a particular focus of attention due to their direct relevance to the research field. Overall, there is substantial current and future potential in the application of microbiomes to immunology. As such, it would be prudent to pay attention to the topic in the future.

Microbiomes in Oncology

One of the biggest issues surrounding cancer treatments is that they tend to be indiscriminate, targeting both healthy and infected cells. However, microbiome-based therapy may change this tendency and result in effective treatments for variations of the condition. Anbu, Gopinath, Chaulagain, and Lakshmipriya (2017) discuss so-called ribonucleases, which selectively harm tumor cells and can combat the illness effectively.

With further development, they can be introduced where necessary in forms that will effectively address the condition without incurring side effects. Moreover, Reed, Devkota, and Figlin (2019) claim that antibiotics complicate the usage of immunotherapy, another approach used to combat cancer, and suggest that microbiomes can have a significant effect on cancer development. The field is likely to develop further, with humanity’s understanding of the disease growing and microorganisms taking a more active role in the treatment of the condition.

As with immunology, the findings of the scholars who study the matter are not entirely theoretical. They are increasingly being applied in the treatment of specific cancers as research on the topic expands, and new methods earn approval. Eslami-S, Majidzadeh-A, Halvaei, Babapirali, and Esmaeili (2020) highlight such methods as probiotic therapies, gene-based therapies, microbe-chemo therapies, and the development of highly specialized antibiotics to adjust the gut bacterial population.

Most of these treatments are still in the early stage, and numerous studies and adjustments are necessary to identify and correct their side effects. However, they may result in significant advances in the treatment of cancer without the extensive damage done by current approaches. As such, oncology is one of the most prominent areas for the development of microbiome research, and medical practitioners should watch out for advances.

Other Uses of Microbiomes

As is mentioned above, cardiology and psychiatry are two areas of substantial interest in microbiome research, as well. Kosyakovsky (2017) claims that studies have found associations between microbes and obesity as well as hypertension, depression, and anxiety, with excessive concentrations resulting in the conditions for the former two and depletion causing the latter. Moreover, these microbiome states may contribute to the conditions in question and not the other way around.

As such, while testing has mostly not gone on to humans yet, remaining theoretical or being applied to animals, new methods of treating these conditions may emerge. They are unlikely to replace current approaches, taking on a supplementary role instead. However, they can improve the quality of treatment and, consequently, the lives of their recipients.

They’re also likely exists a multitude of topics where microbiomes are relevant, though these areas have likely not been discovered yet. Bunyavanich (2019) suggests that specific bacteria colonization can protect mice, and possibly people, from cow milk allergies and possibly other variations of the condition, as well. Allergies have been challenging to treat, especially permanently, for a long time, despite some of them being life-threatening.

As such, the finding may be the beginning of a significant advance in humanity’s understanding and treatment of them. Similarly, there may be many other areas, particularly those related to food consumption, where medicine may benefit from the introduction of microbiome manipulation. Only future research can determine whether this is the case, and discoveries may keep happening decades into the future. Overall, microbiomes are so critical to medicine that they may revolutionize most or all of its disciplines.

External Factors in Microbiome Research

As a new and relatively underexplored area of research, the biology of people’s internal microbes is a cause for safety-related concerns. As such, adoption is likely to be slow until the methods used can be refined and prove themselves to be reliable. Even then, any complications that arise in patients who have received the treatment will be associated with the possibility of a side effect emerging.

To minimize such cases while obtaining the benefits of the paradigm, health policy will have to provide strict limitations while also fostering further growth for the research. Health care organizations will also have to do their part by making sure that they use legitimate and well-founded methods and do not endanger patients. If they do so, the research will eventually become entrenched in medical methods, improving patient outcomes and enabling further investigations.

When microbiome-based treatment methods become publicly available, they are likely to be expensive, especially at first. It will struggle to gain public trust, especially with the ability that mass media and social networks possess to disseminate information about any failures. Moreover, it would be both impossible and unethical to try controlling such spreads. The action would attract public attention rather than take it away from the issue in what is known as the Streisand effect.

It is possible to ask the media not to exaggerate the story, but they are unlikely to listen. As such, it is up to health care providers to minimize the risk to patients and ensure that they know the procedures that they undergo. The practice can only gain public trust after it has been applied to enough people safely.

Conclusion

The recent discoveries regarding microbiomes and their relevance to the human body open substantial opportunities for medicine. They can explain the mechanics of various conditions, both physical and mental, and propose ways to address long-standing problems such as allergies. Cancer is a particularly noteworthy topic because of microbiome manipulation’s potential to provide novel, discriminating treatments.

Furthermore, in the future, microbe genetic modifications create opportunities for safe medication delivery or the generation of specific drugs within the body in response to illness. However, currently, all of these approaches are in the theoretical or experimental stages, years away from being used on people. As such, policymakers and care providers have to exercise caution while fostering the advancement of the discipline to earn public trust and improve patient outcomes.

References

Anbu, P., Gopinath, S. C., Chaulagain, B. P., & Lakshmipriya, T. (2017). . BioMed Research International, 2017. Web.

Bunyavanich, S. (2019). Food allergy: Could the gut microbiota hold the key? Nature Reviews: Gastroenterology & Hepatology, 16(4), 201-202.

Donia, M. S. (2015). A toolbox for microbiome engineering. Cell Systems, 1, 21-23.

Eslami-S, Z., Majidzadeh-A, K., Halvaei, S., Babapirali, F., & Esmaeili, R. (2020). Microbiome and breast cancer: New role for an ancient population. Frontiers in Oncology, 10(120). Web.

Kosyakovsky, L. B. (2017). The emerging role of the microbiome in precision medicine: An overview. UBC Medical Journal, 9(1), 10-12.

Kuntz, T. M., & Gilbert, J. A. (2017). Introducing the microbiome into precision medicine. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 38(1), 81-91.

Reed, J. P., Devkota, S., & Figlin, R. A. (2019). . Annals of Translational Medicine, 7(8). Web.

Richardson, A. E., Kerna, N. A., & Tulp, O. L. (2018). Fundamental factors affecting the development and function of the pediatric microbiome. Archives of Pediatrics, 2018(3). Web.

Sheth, R. U., Cabral, V., Chen, S. P., & Wang, H. H. (2016). Manipulating bacterial communities by in situ microbiome engineering. Trends in Genetics, 32(4), 189-200.

Volkmann, E. R., & Hoffmann-Vold, A. M. (2019). Gastrointestinal tract microbiota modifications in systemic sclerosis. European Journal of Rheumatology. Web.

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