The human microbiome is emerging as an important area of research in understanding health and disease, with growing interest in its potential applications in preventive healthcare and personalised wellness.
In an exclusive interview with Health Xplore India, Dr Debojyoti Dhar, Co-founder and Director of Leucine Rich Bio, the company behind BugSpeaks, discusses the latest developments in microbiome science, the role of microbiome profiling in preventive healthcare, and the key areas expected to shape the future of microbiome research and personalised health.
Q. What is microbiome testing, and how can it contribute to preventive healthcare?
Microbiome testing is used to analyse the trillion microorganisms that inhabit the human body, both inside and out. These include bacteria, fungi and other microorganisms. The study of their structure and possible functions performed by them is carried out during the microbiome test. Thus, microbiome profiling provides us with additional information about a person’s body.
Blood sugar tests and cholesterol tests provide vital information about one’s health, but there are many processes occurring in the body which are not reflected in these tests.
Microbiome tests can give an additional idea about the patterns which are associated with digestion, metabolism and immunity. Their relevance to preventive medicine lies in the fact that they allow detection of the elements which need to be taken care of before they lead to serious issues.
Q. What are the latest advances in microbiome science, and how are these developments helping improve our understanding of health and disease?
Microbiome science has moved beyond simply identifying the types of bacteria present. With advances in shotgun metagenomic sequencing, scientists can now study what these microbes do and how they function. We can analyse what these microorganisms might be up to and the kind of activities that they are doing, like degrading food and metabolite generation.
The computational tool also aids in the investigation of the relationship between thousands of microbial features.
Recently, Leucine Rich Bio conducted a study that was published in iScience, a Cell Press journal. The study compares the gut microbiome composition of 25 Baiga tribe people, a vulnerable tribal community in Central India, with 25 city dwellers from Bhopal. This kind of research is often carried out at a global level. Leucine Rich Bio has brought this work to an Indian tribal community that remains underrepresented in microbiome research. This research adds to our understanding of how diet and lifestyle are associated with microbial variation across populations.
Q. Who should consider microbiome testing? Can apparently healthy individuals also benefit from understanding their microbial profiles?
Microbiome testing can be useful for individuals who want to understand their microbial health and how factors such as diet, lifestyle and environmental exposure influence their microbial profiles. People experiencing health concerns who want additional insights alongside appropriate medical advice may also find these tests valuable.
Apparently healthy individuals can benefit too. Even without visible symptoms, they may be interested in understanding their microbial profiles and how their everyday habits influence microbial balance.
However, microbiome testing is not essential for everyone as part of routine health screening. The decision should depend on an individual’s needs, the quality of the test and the scientific basis of its interpretation. It is also important to remember that differences in microbial composition do not automatically indicate a health problem.
Microbiome profiling-based personalised nutritional recommendations help provide precision healthcare.
Q. How can microbiome profiling support personalised nutrition? Could you share examples of how test results may inform dietary choices or lifestyle recommendations?
It is possible for two individuals having similar dietary habits to have totally opposite responses to the diet because of the differences that exist in how gut bacteria break down food. Such differences could be assessed by using the profiling of gut microbiota. Some bacteria of the gut digest fibre, thus producing short-chain fatty acids, like butyrate.
If someone’s profiling reveals that the number of some fibre-consuming groups of bacteria is small, then trying different kinds of fibre-heavy food could be considered. Vegetables, legumes, fruit and whole grain products are examples of fibre-rich foods. Microbiome profiling-based personalised nutritional recommendations help provide precision healthcare. Recommendations for the diet of every particular person will be based on their profiling, symptoms and current diet.
Q. Can microbiome testing help identify potential health risks before symptoms appear? What are its current capabilities and limitations in disease prediction?
Studies related to microbiomes have identified associations of particular microbial profiles with certain diseases like metabolic, inflammatory and gastrointestinal disorders. This creates opportunities to identify microbial biomarkers that could help indicate potential health risks even before symptoms appear. However, it is necessary to distinguish between the association of a particular profile with some kind of problem and predicting the disease.
The composition of microbiomes can vary depending on diet, medication, geographic region, age, and lifestyle. What may work in one population group may not be valid for others. Right now, what microbiome analysis allows us to do is gain insight into the state of the microbial profile and function that might affect health.
Q. How does BugSpeaks’ analytical approach differ from other microbiome testing solutions available in the market?
The key aspect of microbiome testing comes down to interpretation of the results. It is true that sequencing can generate information about thousands of microbial elements, yet a list of species will not necessarily be helpful to people who need to understand what the test means. At Leucine Rich Bio, we have been concentrating on creating a South Asian microbiome database and developing methodologies which take into account the specifics of the population under examination.
Instead of merely identifying bacterial strains, our methodology concentrates on functions of microflora and the potential role it might play for people’s health. We work with several microbiome niches, including gut, skin and vaginal microbiomes. This is why our testing platforms are created with such experience in mind.
BugSpeaks efficacy has been clinically tested and validated in chronic metabolic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes. The results were published in the international peer-reviewed journal PeerJ in 2024. Also, BugSpeaks test is NABL, NABH accredited and ISO certified.
BugSpeaks offers three types of microbiome tests: gut, skin and vaginal.
Q. How has BugSpeaks evolved since its introduction, in terms of technology, testing capabilities and the insights it provides to users?
When we introduced BugSpeaks in 2017, our focus was on making gut microbiome testing possible in South Asia. However, much has changed since then in both the development of technology itself and what we can use it to study. We have shifted our efforts towards metagenomics analysis, which enables the examination of microbial structure and its functional abilities.
Today, BugSpeaks offers three types of microbiome tests: gut, skin and vaginal. Each test looks at the microbial communities found in a different part of the body. The gut test examines microorganisms linked to digestive health and other bodily functions. The skin test studies the microbes living on the skin and their relationship with skin health. The vaginal test looks at the vaginal microbial balance and the changes that may be associated with vaginal health. This expansion has allowed us to study the microbiome across different parts of the body. It also reflects how our understanding of microbiome science has grown since BugSpeaks was first introduced.
Also, BugSpeaks is the only microbiome test from India that is being exported to countries like Bulgaria, the Philippines, Thailand, the UAE, Qatar and Brazil through our local partners in these countries.
Q. What are the most promising developments in microbiome science today, and how do you see microbiome testing evolving over the next five years?
There are three key areas which are expected to define the future of microbiome research; these are functional metagenomics, artificial intelligence and population-specific studies. It is important that scientists get to understand what the microbes are up to and why their behaviour varies between populations. Leucine Rich Bio’s study of the Baiga community is an example of this work.
Studies of indigenous communities and their microbiomes are often part of larger global research efforts. Our study brings this focus to an Indian community that has received limited attention in microbiome research. It allows us to understand the microbial profile of the Baiga people and how it compares with that of an urban population. This is an important contribution to the research being done in this field.
In the coming five years, there will be increased focus on functional studies of microbiomes and personalised interventions. Artificial intelligence will enable us to find patterns in our data, but clinical validation will still be important.
