The growing interest in the microbiome functions and biotechnological potential in the last decade has taken a group of scientists from 28 research institutions around the world to unify the term “microbiome” and propose guidelines for future research. The results were published last week in the Springer Nature group journal, Microbiome. The GCCRC is one of the co-authors.
The implications of this standardization go beyond academic purposes. The unification of concepts has impacts on industry, regulation, legislation, teaching, and on the right transmission of knowledge to society.
Scientists have defined microbiome as a community of microorganisms that occupies a well-defined habitat – which may include animals and plants – and their interactions with the environment and other organisms.
The publication was a result of the Microbiome Support consortium, a Horizon 2020 initiative, from the European Union program, driven to stimulate scientific and technological innovation around the globe. In Brazil, Rafael Soares Correa de Souza, leader of the microbiome team at GCCRC, was one of the authors.
The published paper can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-020-00875-0