BibTex format
@article{Alexander:2026:10.1136/gutjnl-2026-338252,
author = {Alexander, JL and Mullish, BH and Thomas, L and Weersma, RK and Sokol, H and Roberts, LA and Edwards, LA and Emmanuel, A and Gerasimidis, K and Hall, LJ and Iqbal, TH and Kinross, JM and McIlroy, J and Monaghan, TM and Sergaki, C and Shawcross, DL and Stewart, CJ and Lamb, CA and Williams, HRT and Hansen, R and Hold, GL},
doi = {10.1136/gutjnl-2026-338252},
journal = {Gut},
title = {Recent advances in our understanding of the gut microbiome: an analysis from the Gut Microbiota for Health Expert Panel of the British Society of Gastroenterology},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2026-338252},
year = {2026}
}
RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)
TY - JOUR
AB - Ten years ago, at the time of the first publication by the Gut Microbiota for Health Expert Panel of the British Society of Gastroenterology, recognition of the gut microbiome’s importance in health and disease was transitioning from fringe interest towards major global pursuit. A decade on, we appraise the considerable progress made in the field, while acknowledging ongoing challenges. Earlier human work characterising the 16S rRNA gene amplicon signature of particular conditions have been superseded by larger, multi-centre studies with extensive metadata. Studies increasingly employ shotgun metagenomics and other ‘omic’ techniques – coupled with refined bioinformatic tools and disease models - to better characterise perturbation in gut microbiome functionality. The arrival of ‘gold standard’ pipelines for microbiome analysis and increased mechanistic validation of signals are key developments towards more clinically-translatable outcomes. Novel clinical areas where the gut microbiome has relevance have emerged, including early life, and upon the efficacy of certain treatments (including immune checkpoint inhibitors and vaccination). Enthusiasm for ‘microbiome diagnostics and treatments’ has grown, but barriers to widespread adoption remain. Faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) is established for treating recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection, with donor-derived ‘next generation’ FMT products licensed for this condition in certain countries. Beyond FMT, other microbial therapeutic techniques - including nutritional, bacteriophage, and probiotic therapies - show promise, but have not fulfilled their high expectations yet. Gut microbiome research is now well-established and shows significant translational potential; the future focus will be translational work to drive its utility in clinical diagnostics, prognostics and therapeutics.
AU - Alexander,JL
AU - Mullish,BH
AU - Thomas,L
AU - Weersma,RK
AU - Sokol,H
AU - Roberts,LA
AU - Edwards,LA
AU - Emmanuel,A
AU - Gerasimidis,K
AU - Hall,LJ
AU - Iqbal,TH
AU - Kinross,JM
AU - McIlroy,J
AU - Monaghan,TM
AU - Sergaki,C
AU - Shawcross,DL
AU - Stewart,CJ
AU - Lamb,CA
AU - Williams,HRT
AU - Hansen,R
AU - Hold,GL
DO - 10.1136/gutjnl-2026-338252
PY - 2026///
SN - 0017-5749
TI - Recent advances in our understanding of the gut microbiome: an analysis from the Gut Microbiota for Health Expert Panel of the British Society of Gastroenterology
T2 - Gut
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2026-338252
ER -