Is the microbiome about to change medicine for good?

Israeli microbiome research will help in predicting, diagnosing and treating a wide range of conditions and diseases.

Health and Medicine | October 21, 2019

*Our bodies are home to about 100 trillion tiny microbes*

Your body is composed of about 10 trillion human cells. It’s also home to about 100 trillion tiny microbes, mainly bacteria, that wield astonishing power over your health. Many influences, from genetics, to diet and stress, contribute to the makeup of your microbiome — the collective community of microbes as personal as a fingerprint.

Understanding, manipulating and balancing the microbiome

Understanding, manipulating and balancing the microbiome could play an increasing role in preventing and curing diseases. In 2018, about 2,400 clinical trials tested therapies based on microbiome science. Israel is one of the countries experiencing rapid growth in microbiome research and entrepreneurship. “In terms of discovery and publication rate, Israelis are at the global forefront,” says Dr. Eran Elinav, an international pioneer of microbiome research.-- More... Head of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Host-Microbiome Interaction Research Group, Elinav and Weizmann colleague Prof. Eran Segal made headlines in November 2015 with results of the first phase of their groundbreaking Personalized Nutrition Project. The main takeaway message: Because of that very individualized gut microbiome, the same foods affect each person’s blood-sugar levels differently. Several large studies, including at the Mayo Clinic, later validated the Israeli findings.

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