THE HUMAN MICROBIOME
The Trillions of You
With research conducted about the human microbiome, scientists can begin to apply their findings to current issues using biotechnology. The following page covers some of the technologies and common utilization purposes in the present day.
Gene Editing
Gene editing or the CRISPR technology refers to manipulating the genes in a cell. Scientists are beginning to use this technology in order to control and maintain the microbiome of humans. This means that they are working with bacterial and microbial cells as opposed to human cells.
CRISPR stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeat. This name refers to the organization of DNA sequences found in the genomes of microorganisms. The CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing system is programmed to target specific stretches of genetic code and to edit DNA at precise locations. With this new technology, scientists can select desirable traits to be engineered and create a better understanding of the functions of certain genes. Involving the microbiome, CRISPR-Cas9 can allow genes to be turned on or off, and to kill masses of bacteria in our benefit against infections and diseases. [1]
CRISPR-Cas9
A short video explaining CRISPR: "A Word Processor for Editing the Genome" [VIDEO1.1]
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APPLICATIONS
Bioremediation: Waste Control and Clean Up
Bioremediation is the use of microbes to clean up or neutralize pollutants in contaminated soil or groundwater. The United States Department of Energy (DOE) formulated the Microbial Genome Initiative to sequence the genomes of bacteria useful in the areas of energy production, environmental remediation, toxic waste reduction, and industrial processing.
Resulting from that project, six microbes that live under extreme temperature and pressure conditions have been sequenced. By learning their unique protein structures, researchers may be able to use these organisms and their enzymes for practical purposes such as waste control and environmental cleanup to combat pollution. [2]
Probiotics
You have probably heard that probiotics are "good" or "helpful" bacteria because they help keep your gut healthy, but do they really?
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Probiotics are bacteria that line your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. There are two common types of probiotics: Lactobacillus (found in yogurts and fermented/cultured food) and Bifidobacterium (found in dairy products).
Research has shown some benefits for the use of probiotics for infectious diarrhea, antibiotic-associated diarrhea, gut transit, Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) , abdominal pain and bloating, ulcerative colitis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and necrotizing enterocolitis.
Besides helping your gut, the right diet can reduce acne, manage autism (specific foods), fight harmful bacteria, prevent eczema in children, and benefit the human body in many other ways. [3,4,5]
