6 Microbiome Studies Our Team Couldn't Stop Talking About This Year

Written by Emma Loewe: Writer, author, and editor of Cultured. Her writing explores the intersection of nature, climate, and human health. Emma is the author of “Return to Nature” and “The Spirit Almanac.”
Reviewed by Jennie O’Grady: Senior SciComms Specialist at Seed Health

It would take the average reader roughly 12,354 hours to dig into every scientific paper that’s been published on the microbiome this year.* In case you aren’t quite able to commit 16 months of your life to sifting through science, we’ve put together a highly curated Sparknotes version for you.

Here are six of the most interesting microbial findings of the past year, hand-picked by Seed’s R&D and Science Communications teams. Join us as we nerd out on the perspective-shifting studies, reviews, and summaries that came across our desks in 2024—and translate what they could mean for the future of human, environmental, and even extraterrestrial health.

*Calculated under the assumption that the average research article is 7,000 words 

Is there life in space? This new discovery in Antarctica could help us figure that out.

Lake Enigma in northern Antarctica was long thought to be frozen from top to bottom—until now. On a recent expedition, researchers drilled 9–11 meters into the ice crust and uncovered a diverse microbial landscape.

This discovery comes around the same time that a spacecraft was launched to Jupiter’s moon, Europa, to search for life under its ice crust (planned to land in 2030). 

The more we can learn about microbes that have adapted to extreme conditions on Earth, the more informed we’ll be when interpreting results from this mission to the great beyond.

Astrophiles, rejoice: We may finally be getting closer to answering the question: “Is there anyone out there?!”

The perennially ice-covered Lake Enigma, Antarctica supports unique microbial communities

—Brooke, Scientific Director

Seed continues to set a new standard for probiotics research.

It was an exciting year for data at Seed as we wrapped two double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials on our flagship innovation, DS–01® Daily Synbiotic, and another clinical trial on our newest innovation, VS-01™ Vaginal Synbiotic. Our R+D team presented this new clinical data at the 2024 annual meetings: Digestive Disease Week (DDW), and Infectious Diseases Society for Obstetrics and Gynecology (IDSOG). 

The findings presented at DDW and IDSOG emphasize the rigorous biopharma approach Seed brings to everyday health, and underscores the idea that not all probiotics are created equal.

The clinical data on DS-01® and VS-01™ highlight the potential of science-backed probiotics to impact and transform whole-body health. 

ABx:

Daily supplementation with a multi-species synbiotic (DS-01) during and after antibiotic treatment protects against the loss of low-abundance bacterial species while enhancing gut barrier integrity

IBS:

A multi-species synbiotic (DS-01) alleviates constipation and abdominal pain in Irritable Bowel Syndrome subtype mixed (IBS-M) subjects while boosting synbiotic species associated with decreased systemic inflammation and net formation

—Jordie, Director of SciComms 

Fermenting the future: Lab-grown breast milk could revolutionize infant care.

In case you haven’t heard, human breast milk is extremely beneficial to a newborn and infant’s gut microbiome and developing immune system. It’s rich in prebiotics (known as human milk oligosaccharides) and other ingredients that enrich the developing baby’s gut with foundational microbes. 

However, a number of physiological, emotional, and practical factors keep new parents from breastfeeding, and the demand for infant formula in the United States continues to rise. Infant formula is typically made of modified cow’s milk. Its aim is to mimic breast milk, but as human breast milk is highly complex, most formulas still fall short in many areas—and they aren’t necessarily developed to feed the developing infant microbiome. 

Could lab-grown breast milk be a viable alternative? This summary explores the pipeline of startups in the lab-grown breast milk industry and their focus areas (including cell-based human breast milk production and human milk protein, sugar, and fat production via precision fermentation).

By integrating lab-grown human milk components, the goal is to create infant formulas that offer benefits more akin to natural breast milk. This article makes the bold prediction that lab-grown milk is “gearing up to disrupt the infant formula market.” Watch this space!

Lab-grown breast milk

—Mizue, Program Lead

Research on vaginal bacteria yields new insights into BV.

In this study, three bacteria linked to bacterial vaginosis (BV) (Gardnerella vaginalis, Fannyhessea vaginae, and Prevotella bivia) were mixed and allowed to grow in conditions that mimicked the human vagina. After 48 hours in the triple-species biofilm, certain expressed genes in Gardnerella vaginalis were downregulated. This demonstrates that the neighboring bacteria interacted to affect each other’s characteristics. 

This new research sheds light on the molecular processes that amplify the pathogenic potential of polymicrobial communities. Translation: It tells us that a known vaginal pathogen adapts to the company it keeps, changing gene expression based on who is nearby.

Gardnerella vaginalis, Fannyhessea vaginae, and Prevotella bivia Strongly Influence Each Other’s Transcriptome in Triple-Species Biofilms

—Michelle, Sr. Scientist

To solve the massive climate crisis, we may need to think small.

This review looked at the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), first established in 2012, through the lens of new and emerging research and technology in microbiology. The authors identified seven ways microbiota may help us reach our global sustainability targets—from cleaning polluted wastewater to breaking down plastics so they can be more easily recycled. 

A personal favorite was the research on the microbial breakdown of xenobiotics (foreign compounds in the body such as antibiotics and chemotherapy agents) and how additional research here could help us unlock new solutions for human, animal, and environmental health.

Microbes are everywhere, and reviews like this show that they can be leveraged for some of the world’s greatest challenges.

Scientists’ call to action: Microbes, planetary health, and the Sustainable Development Goals

—Christine, Sr. Scientist

Researchers studied the human microbiome(s) for six years—and came to these conclusions.

In a study that spanned six years, researchers routinely tested four of the body’s microbiomes (stool, skin, oral, and nasal) in 86 participants to observe how they shifted over time. In line with previous research, the study found that:

• There was a core group of bacteria often found in the microbiomes of healthy people
• Microbiomes tended to shift during times of infections and diseases
• The bacteria most particular to an individual were the most stable
• When the microbiome of one body area changed, the other microbiomes also shifted

This study provides significant insights into the human microbiome’s stability and individuality, and the complex relationship between our microbiomes and overall health. It also underscores the idea that there is no universally “healthy” microbiome. 

Over time, more longitudinal research like this could help lead to targeted, personalized medicine approaches that are tailored to one’s specific microbial composition.

Longitudinal profiling of the microbiome at four body sites reveals core stability and individualized dynamics during health and disease

—Jennie, Sr. SciComms Specialist