New Research Harnesses Human Microbiome for Drug Discovery

Major Study Explores Bacterial Potential in Human Body

A significant research initiative, as reported by News Medical, has revealed promising developments in the search for new therapeutic compounds within the human microbiome. Scientists at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research have embarked on an innovative approach to drug discovery, moving beyond traditional soil-based bacterial research to explore the diverse microorganisms that naturally inhabit the human body.

Comprehensive Sampling Across Multiple Studies

The research centered around two key studies, with the primary “IMAGINE” investigation collecting nearly 2,000 samples from various body sites, including saliva, dental plaque, stool, eye, throat, and skin. This comprehensive approach aimed to understand how different microbiome compositions might influence various diseases. A complementary study examining zoo and wild animal microbiomes was also conducted to expand the potential source pool for natural products.

Technological Innovation in Analysis

The research team employed advanced metagenome sequencing to analyze the collected samples, enabling them to identify specific bacterial strains and their relative abundances. According to Professor Andreas Keller, department head at HIPS and Clinical Bioinformatics expert at Saarland University, this wealth of data represents unprecedented opportunity: “To us, this data is a scientific goldmine. We still have no idea which natural products most of the newly identified gene clusters encode.”

Future Applications and Development

The findings have been incorporated into the newly established ABC-HuMi database, marking a significant step forward in natural product research. As Professor Rolf Müller, head of department and scientific director at HIPS, explains: “The data obtained reflect an enormous biodiversity that has not been studied so far. Our next step will be to harness this potential. We are pleased that we can now effectively apply the technologies we have established over the past 15 years for the development of antibiotics to other indications as well.”

Translation to Clinical Applications

The research is now moving into its next phase, with six research groups focusing on validating the 50 most promising gene clusters identified in the study. This work is being conducted as part of the PharmaScienceHub, a collaboration established in 2023 between HIPS and Saarland University, aimed at bridging the gap between academic research and pharmaceutical applications.

The findings from this research could potentially revolutionise how we approach drug development, particularly for non-infectious diseases, by utilizing the vast and largely unexplored potential of the human microbiome.