We read with interest the Comment by Kouidhi and Oduaran, in which they advocate the standardization of microbiome data collection across Africa (Kouidhi, S. & Oduaran, O. H. Strengthening the foundation of African microbiome research: strategies for standardized data collection. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 21, 742–743 (2024))¹. They highlight the tremendous opportunities of African microbiome research, while also acknowledging the potential obstacles to its implementation, which include the absence of standardized frameworks for metadata collection. To overcome these obstacles, they propose several recommendations, including the development of standardized templates, the launch of training programmes to educate researchers, the implementation of centralized databases that exploit state-of-the-art computational tools and machine learning, regular monitoring and feedback-based improvement of processes, and proactive engagement of local communities.

The present era is particularly fruitful for microbiome research, as after decades of research we have started to observe the clinical implementation of such efforts. For example, faecal microbiota transplantation is an established treatment option for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection and is currently being investigated for chronic non-communicable diseases². In addition, live biotherapeutic products have been approved by the FDA and are currently marketed in the USA². An increasing number of studies are also exploring the diagnostic potential of the microbiome in different clinical areas, such as in colorectal cancer³, inflammatory bowel disease⁴ and cancer immunotherapy⁵. Moreover, global recommendations to standardize microbiome diagnostics have been released⁶. Taken together, these translational efforts, along with a decrease in sequencing costs and free availability of most computational software⁷, are expected to promote the development of African microbiome research and boost its clinical application. This last step has considerable potential for healthcare improvement in Africa, where the epidemiology of cancer and non-communicable diseases is progressively worsening^8,9.

我们饶有兴趣地阅读了 Kouidhi 和 Oduaran 的评论，他们在其中倡导在非洲标准化微生物组数据收集（Kouidhi， S. & Oduaran， O. H. 加强非洲微生物组研究的基础：标准化数据收集策略。Nat. Rev. 胃肠醇。肝醇 。21， 742–743 （2024））¹.他们强调了非洲微生物组研究的巨大机遇，同时也承认其实施的潜在障碍，包括缺乏标准化的元数据收集框架。为了克服这些障碍，他们提出了几项建议，包括开发标准化模板、启动培训计划以教育研究人员、实施利用最先进的计算工具和机器学习的集中式数据库、定期监控和基于反馈的流程改进，以及当地社区的积极参与。

当今时代对于微生物组研究来说尤其富有成效，因为经过几十年的研究，我们已经开始观察此类努力的临床实施。例如，粪便微生物群移植是复发性艰难梭菌感染的既定治疗选择，目前正在研究慢性非传染性疾病 ²。此外，活体生物治疗产品已获得 FDA 的批准，目前在美国销售 ².越来越多的研究也在探索微生物组在不同临床领域的诊断潜力，例如结直肠癌 ³、炎症性肠病 ⁴ 和癌症免疫疗法 ⁵。此外，已经发布了标准化微生物组诊断的全球建议 ⁶。综上所述，这些转化工作，以及测序成本的降低和大多数计算软件的免费可用性 ⁷，有望促进非洲微生物组研究的发展并促进其临床应用。这最后一步在非洲的医疗保健改善方面具有相当大的潜力，那里的癌症和非传染性疾病的流行病学正在逐渐恶化 ^8,9。