The Untapped Potential of Microbiome Mining in Drug Discovery and Precision Medicine

By Ross Youngs, November 17, 2022.

Through the innovative practice of microbiome mining, scientists and researchers will be able to harvest and study microbiome molecules at an industrial scale for the first time. Life science is on the verge of ushering in the age of microbiome metabolomics, and it is possible to have a Moore’s law growth pattern that will double the known microbial small molecules every 24 months for years into the future.

Actionable understanding of microbiome molecules could lead to cures or treatments for rare and orphan diseases, neurodegenerative, inflammatory, metabolic, infectious, longevity, and more. Other industries will benefit from a deep understanding of the hidden small molecule world, like crop health in agriculture, sustainability challenges in carbon capture, protecting against red tides and harmful algal blooms, and coral bleaching.

Achieving these goals is possible by unlocking secrets in biology and chemistry that are nearly impossible to decode because the technology has yet to provide the information or the technology has not existed. The human microbiome, the least understood human organ, is a critical opportunity for advancing our understanding of small molecules.