These bacteria, which live in our digestive systems, are part of a system called the human microbiome. "But to better understand the roles played by the various bacteria in the human microbiome, scientists need to study the proteins produced by these bacteria, which are encoded in their genomes," said Dr. From these insights, scientists would be able to develop drugs to control those particular proteins and help treat diseases that originate in or are influenced by the human microbiome." A kind of citizen science project, The Microbiome Immunity Project needs the help of the general public to succeed. “This is the largest computing effort directed at the human microbiome," Knight said.

Source: Forbes August 31, 2017 01:30 UTC