Metagenomics, the Microbiome, and the Evolution of GI Evaluations

Metagenomics, the Microbiome, and the Evolution of GI Evaluations from PLMI on Vimeo.

Hippocrates is said to have stated that all diseases begin in the gut. In today’s clinical practices, gastrointestinal disorders represent a significant component of our patient’s chronic diseases. It is rare when somebody comes in without some form of IBS. Given the complexities that lead to gut symptoms, it is invaluable to have a method to determine what is driving gut dysfunction.

Over the years, stool testing has grown in providing actionable information that helps clinicians change the lives of their patients. Technological advances have allowed such lab tests to see more and more of the microbiome. And now, the way we analyze the microbiome has been revolutionized once again with the integration of whole-genome sequencing. Not only can we determine the full details of the microbiome, but we can also know exactly what genes our gut bacteria carry. In this discussion, we will talk about how the integration of whole-genome sequencing will lead us into the next generation of GI evaluations.