Steps Forward in MyNewGut Project

8 Oct 2015

by Kristina Campbell

MyNewGut is a European gut microbiome research initiative launched in 2013 that brings together experts in a wide range of fields: 'omics' technologies, brain research, computational modelling, immunology, microbiology, physiology and nutrition. The endeavour includes both basic research and clinical trials, with the aim of producing high-quality data that can inform medical practice and public health initiatives around the world.

A major limitation of current methods of gut microbiota analysis (16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and metagenomics) is that preparing the bacterial DNA for sequencing destroys the fine spatial organization of the sample.

As MyNewGut, a research initiative involving thirty organizations from fifteen countries, continued to carry out its research program on prebiotic fibres and the gut microbiota, project participants held a workshop before the International Dietary Fibre Conference 2015 in Paris.

Thousands of years ago, humans went beyond hunting and gathering and began purposefully selecting and growing the most beneficial plants; what we know as the agricultural revolution was born. Is it possible that cultivating the microbiome would create a comparable paradigm shift?

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