Recent advances in our understanding of the gut microbiome: an analysis from the Gut Microbiota for Health Expert Panel of the British Society of Gastroenterology
Cet article passe en revue les avancées récentes en matière de compréhension du microbiome intestinal, notamment son rôle dans le développement ou la progression de certaines maladies, examine son intérêt comme outil diagnostique ou pronostique ainsi que son influence sur l'efficacité de certains traitements (inhibiteurs de point de contrôle immunitaire, vaccination...) puis identifie les techniques permettant de le modifier (transplantation fécale, nutrition, probiotiques, postbiotiques...) ainsi que les défis à relever dans la recherche translationnelle et les perspectives d'évolution
At around 10 years ago, at the time of the first publication by the Gut Microbiota for Health Expert Panel of the British Society of Gastroenterology, recognition of the gut microbiome’s importance in health and disease was transitioning from fringe interest towards major global pursuit. A decade on, we appraise the considerable progress made in the field, while acknowledging ongoing challenges. Earlier human work characterising the 16S rRNA gene amplicon signature of particular conditions in small cohorts has been superseded by larger, multicentre studies with extensive metadata. Studies increasingly employ shotgun metagenomics and other ‘omic’ techniques—coupled with refined bioinformatic tools and disease models—to better characterise perturbation in gut microbiome functionality. The arrival of ‘gold standard’ pipelines for microbiome analysis and increased mechanistic validation of signals are key developments towards more clinically-translatable outcomes. Novel clinical areas where the gut microbiome has relevance have emerged, including early life and the efficacy of certain treatments (including immune checkpoint inhibitors and vaccination). Enthusiasm for ‘microbiome diagnostics and treatments’ has grown, but barriers to widespread adoption remain. Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is established for treating recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, with donor-derived ‘next generation’ FMT products licensed for this condition in certain countries. Beyond FMT, other microbial therapeutic techniques—including nutritional, bacteriophage and probiotic therapies—show promise, but have not fulfilled their high expectations yet. Gut microbiome research is now well-established and shows significant translational potential; the future focus will be translational work to drive its utility in clinical diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics.
Gut , article en libre accès, 2026