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The goal of B.Debate is to place Catalonia at the frontline as a international scientific benchmark and promote knowledge awareness and social participation in major social and ethical debates in science.
 30.07.2015

The human microbiome, leitmotif of the last edition of B·Debate

Gaining further insight into the microbiome –the community of microorganisms that inhabit the human body, more of which 90% are bacteria– and their influence on health could make it possible to diagnose and even treat various diseases. Leading international experts presented the latest studies and future research lines in this filed at the workshop The Human Microbiome. Present Status and Future Prospects, organized jointly by B·Debate –an initiative of  “la Caixa” Foundation and Biocat, located at the Barcelona Science Park– together with the Universitat de Vic-Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Institute, the Vall d´Hebron Research Institute (VHIR) and the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre. 

 

The microbiome, also referred to as the forgotten organ, is is a part of our body of vital importance with a key influence on the general state of health and the development of certain diseases. Each human being plays host to some 100 billion bacteria, of some 10,000 different types, weighing an average of 2 kilograms, with which we live and which are fundamental in processes like digestion and educating the immune system. But their role goes much further, as variations in their composition have been associated with all sorts of diseases, obesity and diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Recent studies suggest that they may be linked to infection with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or even to behavioral disorders like autism.

New sequencing technologies have revolutionized this field, allowing the study of the genomes of all microorganisms of a given environment, which is known as metagenomics. In recent years substantial progress has been made as a result of initiatives such as the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) in the United States and the European MetaHIT,  projects  as ambitious as the Human Genome Project in the 90s.

In the last edition of B·Debate, which was held at CosmoCaixa Barcelona in early July, internationally renowned leading researchers in many areas related to the study of the micriobiome presented and commented on the latest work in this field. 
 

<The main conclusions and most important issues addressed at the workshop are available for consultation in the Synopsis of this B·Debate