Stanford scientists build first complex, complete synthetic human microbiome from scratch

Amazing stuff! This could be a major step forward! This is quite a feat!

"... So the first step was trawling through masses of prior human microbiome research to come up with a shortlist of the most prevalent bacteria found in most people. The research team homed in on 104 bacterial species ...
Around 20 new bacterial species were found to have successfully colonized hCom1, and a small handful of previously selected bacteria died off. Ultimately the researchers cataloged 119 bacterial strains, dubbing this second generation of microbiome hCom2. This hCom2 microbiome community was found to function as effectively as any general microbial composition in mice."

"... But these communities are complex and without systematic ways to study the constituents, the exact cells and molecules linked with certain diseases remain a mystery. ...
The ability to add, remove, and edit individual species will allow scientists to better understand the links between the microbiome and health, and eventually develop first-in-class microbiome therapies. ...
Each cell in the microbiome occupies a specific functional niche, performing reactions that break down and build up molecules. To build a microbiome, the team had to ensure that the final mixture was not only stable, maintaining a balance without any single species overpowering the rest, but also functional, performing all the actions of a complete, natural microbiome. ..."

From the abstract:

"Efforts to model the human gut microbiome in mice have led to important insights into the mechanisms of host-microbe interactions. ... Here, we construct and characterize in vitro a defined community of 104 bacterial species composed of the most common taxa from the human gut microbiota (hCom1). We then used an iterative experimental process to fill open niches: germ-free mice were colonized with hCom1 and then challenged with a human fecal sample. We identified new species that engrafted following fecal challenge and added them to hCom1, yielding hCom2. In gnotobiotic mice, hCom2 exhibited increased stability to fecal challenge and robust colonization resistance against pathogenic Escherichia coli. Mice colonized by either hCom2 or a human fecal community are phenotypically similar, suggesting that this consortium will enable a mechanistic interrogation of species and genes on microbiome-associated phenotypes."

Stanford scientists build first synthetic human microbiome from scratch A team of researchers from Stanford University has constructed the first synthetic microbiome model, built entirely from scratch and encompassing more than 100 different bacterial species. 

Stanford researchers construct most complex, complete synthetic microbiome The microbial community of over 100 bacterial species could help scientists learn more about the connections between the microbiome and human health.

Design, construction, and in vivo augmentation of a complex gut microbiome (no public access)