Microbiome Sequencing Service: Understanding Your Microbiome

What is the Microbiome?

The human microbiome refers to the collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, that live on and inside the human body. The microbiome performs several important functions for human health and development. Most microbes reside in the gut, where they play a key role in digesting food, producing vitamins, training our immune system, and preventing harmful pathogens from growing. Over the past decade, researchers have started to understand just how integral our microbiomes are to overall wellness.

Advances in Microbiome Sequencing Technology

To study the composition and roles of microbial communities, researchers must be able to sequence the DNA of the many species present. For years, traditional Microbiome Sequencing Service studies relied on culturing techniques or older sequencing methods with limited throughput. However, next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have revolutionized the field by enabling high-volume, high-resolution profiling of entire microbiomes. NGS allows scientists to sequence all microbial DNA present in a sample without bias toward species that can be grown in a lab.Sequencers can now rapidly generate millions of short DNA sequences, or "reads," from a microbiome sample, which bioinformaticians then assemble into microbial profiles.

Commercial Microbiome Sequencing Services

As NGS technologies became more accessible, several commercial microbiome profiling services emerged to fill the gap between research labs and individual consumers or healthcare providers. These services offer turnkey microbiome analysis using state-of-the-art sequencing pipelines and bioinformatics. Customers simply send in a stool, saliva, or other specimen, and the service extracts microbial DNA, prepares it for sequencing, runs the samples on high-throughput machines, and provides an easy-to-understand report on the patient or subject's microbiome composition and diversity.

Some notable commercial sequencing service providers include Viome, uBiome, Atlas Biomed, and Second Genome. Each company takes a slightly different approach but generally delivers comparable basic standard sequencing and analysis for a few hundred dollars per sample. Some services offer additional premium assays and interpretation. Customers include research institutions, healthcare practitioners interested in integrative or nutritional medicine, and individuals seeking a deeper understanding of their own microbiomes. microbiome

Microbiome Sequencing Methodology

Most commercial services follow a standard workflow for microbiome sequencing and analysis:

1. Sample collection and storage: Customers collect samples, usually stool or oral swabs, using collection kits that preserve microbial DNA during shipping.

2. DNA extraction: Upon receipt, trained laboratory technicians extract total genomic DNA from the samples. Proper lysis and purification methods avoid host DNA contamination.

3. 16S rRNA gene sequencing: The V1-V3 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene are PCR amplified from each extracted DNA sample. These regions show sufficient variability between bacterial species to profile communities.

4. Illumina sequencing: DNA libraries are prepared by adding adaptor sequences and indexes, then samples are pooled and sequenced together on an Illumina MiSeq or NextSeq instrument.

5. Bioinformatics analysis: Raw sequencing reads are processed, trimmed, classified taxonomically using reference databases, and analyzed for alpha and beta diversity metrics. Operational taxonomic units (OUTs) are assigned at selected taxonomic levels.

6. Reporting: Users receive online or emailed reports listing the dominant and rare bacterial species identified along with visualizations of microbiome profiles and diversity comparisons. Some services highlight taxa of interest for certain health conditions. Interpretation may depend on integrated clinical metadata if provided.

Microbiome Profiling for Research and Personalized Health

A personal microbiome analysis offers value for multiple applications. Researchers can employ commercial services for large population studies or clinical trials to discover biomarkers and patterns linked to disease, diet, lifestyle, and drug response. Healthcare providers may order tests for individual patients to uncover potential connections to chronic conditions like obesity, diabetes, IBS, or depression.

Consumers can benefit from gaining deep insights into their own gut and oral ecosystems to make informed dietary, supplement, or lifestyle choices tailored to optimize their unique microbiome. While microbiome analysis alone cannot diagnose or treat diseases, it represents an empowering step toward preventive, nutrition-based approaches when combined with clinical guidance. As sequencing costs continue declining, microbiome profiling shows great promise for advancing personalized, preventive, and precision health approaches of the future.

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About Author:

Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. (https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravina-pandya-1a3984191)