The Barcelona Debates on the Human Microbiome 2017. From Microbes to Medicines
The Barcelona Debates on the Human Microbiome – From Microbes to Medicines, organized by B·Debate, an initiative of Biocat and “la Caixa” Foundation, co-organized with IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Center, brought together international renowned experts from different disciplines currently investigating the microbiome. The meeting was a unique opportunity to know first-hand the latest research findings of microbiome studies applied in areas such as healthy aging, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, infectious diseases and digestive diseases. The human microbiome is essential for human health and body functioning. As scientists we are beginning to elucidate the enormous scientific and therapeutic potential of the human microbiome in almost all medical fields.
Discussions were also focus on the emerging importance of the interaction between fungal and bacterial communities and its impact on health. Scientific leaders of this debate were Bonaventura Clotet from IrsiCaixa AIDS Research Center and Roger Paredes from IrsiCaixa AIDS Research.
Amongst the scientists that attended this important event were Microomics founders, Toni Gabaldón and Pedro González. Toni Gabaldón scientist responsible for “Saca La Lengua” project in the CRG, presented the project, one of the largest citizen-science projects around the microbiome. Dr. Gabaldón explained that over 3000 citizens have so far participated in this project which has served not only to provide an accurate snapshot of the oral microbiome but also to spread knowledge about genomics and microbes through the engagement of citizens in a real scientific project.
