Show Notes
️ Episode 50: The Microbiome for Clinicians — Bridging Research and Practice
In this episode of Base by Base, we explore a Perspective article by Porcari et al. (2025) in Cell titled “The microbiome for clinicians,” which examines the current disconnect between microbiome research and its implementation in medical practice, and outlines a strategic roadmap to overcome the barriers preventing its clinical adoption.
Key Highlights:
The authors categorize translational barriers into biological complexity, methodological variability, logistical hurdles, and cultural factors that hinder reproducibility and clinician confidence ; they review diagnostic applications of gut microbiome profiling for colorectal cancer screening, inflammatory bowel disease detection, and prediction of response to immunotherapies and standard treatments ; they discuss therapeutic potentials—including fecal microbiota transplantation, live biotherapeutic consortia, engineered probiotics, and phage therapy—highlighting both the successes in recurrent C. difficile infection and the challenges in chronic disease contexts ; and they propose a multifaceted action plan—standardizing research protocols, enhancing clinical trial design with rigorous statistical frameworks, deepening mechanistic understanding of host–microbiome interactions, and fostering interdisciplinary education and communication—to accelerate the integration of microbiome science into clinical care .
Conclusion:
Porcari et al. argue that while microbiome research has delivered promising diagnostic and therapeutic insights, realizing its full potential in precision medicine requires coordinated efforts in protocol standardization, trial methodology refinement, mechanistic validation, and targeted training of healthcare professionals to transform microbiome discoveries into practical clinical tools.
Reference:
Porcari S, Ng SC, Zitvogel L, Sokol H, Weersma RK, Elinav E, Gasbarrini A, Cammarota G, Tilg H, Ianiro G. (2025). The microbiome for clinicians. Cell, 188, 2836–2844. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2025.04.016
License:
This episode is based on an open access article published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
