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A conference was held by Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) on April 11th at its headquarters in Daejeon. The theme of the conference was “10% Human: in Search of the Forgotten Organ …’ KRIBB conference provided an opportunity for gut microbiome researchers to present their research and share information.
Over 100 trillion microorganisms exist in the human body; the body is thus comprised of 10% human cells and 90% microbial cells. Most of these microorganisms inhabit in the small and large intestines, where they exert various influences on the human body.
This fact became widely known when a large number of recent studies proved the correlation between the gut microbiome and diseases. For example, the gut microbiome has been reported to be correlated with various diseases related to the brain, digestive system, circulatory system, and immune system, which has heightened an awareness of its importance. As such, the gut microbiome is sometimes even referred to as the ‘forgotten organ.’
The conference provided multi-disciplinary insights into the gut microbiome, bringing together diverse research themes through presentations on the Korean gut microbiome bank (KRIBB; Dr. Jung-Sook Lee); intestinal immune cells, the microbiome, and metabolic homeostasis (KAIST; Prof. Yoo-Mi Kim); the microbiome and precision medicine (GIST; Prof. Han-Soo Park); analytical methods for Korean gut microbiome research (ChunLab, Inc.; Director Byeong-Yong Kim); the correlation between rheumatoid arthritis and the gut microbiome that modulates the immune system (Catholic University of Korea; Prof. Mi-Ra Cho); and studying host-microbiome interactions using a germ-free, gnotobiotic mouse model (Yonsei University; Prof. Ji-Hwan Yoo).
The most notable theme of the conference was the ‘Korean gut microbiome bank’ presented by Dr. Lee at the Korean Collection for Types Cultures of KRIBB. The gut microbiome bank contains data from metagenome analyses of gut microbiomes from healthy Koreans and the obligatory anaerobes acquired from the gut. A support system that allows easy access for researchers to the bank will be established. The presentation dealt with the current KRIBB infrastructure that connects the actual resources and their relevant data, and what is required to promote national microbiome research and its related industries.
Dr. Lee, who organized KRIBB conference this April, said “It is anticipated that KRIBB conference will be an opportunity for the national gut microbiome researchers to form a network by exchanging information and knowledge”