Microbiome Dynamics: Advancing Therapeutic Development in Health and Disease

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 16 February 2026 | Viewed by 68

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, 22, Soonchunhyang-ro, Sinchang-myeon, Asan-si 31538, Chungnam-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: Microbiome therapeutics, Microbiome biomarker, 'Host-Microbiome-Pathogen' metabolic network

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Guest Editor
Human Microbiome Medical Research Center (HM·MRC), School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, 22, Soonchunhyang-ro, Sinchang-myeon, Asan-si 31538, Chungnam-do, Republic of Korea
Interests: microbiome therapeutics; microbiome biomarker; microbiome-based cosmetics

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, 31, Suncheonhyang 6-gil, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan-si 31151, Republic of Korea
2. Human Microbiome Medical Research Center (HM·MRC), School of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, 22, Soonchunhyang-ro, Sinchang-myeon, Asan-si 31538, Republic of Korea
Interests: microbiome-based therapeutics; microbiome biomarkers; host-pathogen-microbiome interactions; autophagy and microbiome interplay; microbiome in personalized and predictive medicine

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The development of microbiome-based therapeutics represents a transformative frontier in biomedical innovation. As our understanding of host–microbiome interactions deepens, microbiota-targeted interventions are increasingly being recognized as promising approaches for managing metabolic, inflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases, as well as cancer. Moreover, their therapeutic potential is being actively explored for high-risk infectious diseases, including antibiotic-resistant superbugs and tuberculosis, where conventional strategies often fall short.

This Special Issue, entitled “Microbiome Dynamics: Advancing Therapeutic Development in Health and Disease”, encompasses the full continuum of microbiome therapeutic development—from early-stage discovery to clinical validation and real-world application. A key focus is the identification and functional analysis of previously uncharacterized microbial taxa and novel next-generation probiotics (NGPs). Disease-specific metagenomic profiling for microbial biomarker discovery, followed by validation through preclinical models—including animal studies and artificial human microbiome simulators that replicate in vivo gut environments—is highly relevant for the rational design of live biotherapeutics.

We welcome research utilizing multi-omics approaches—metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics—to dissect host–microbiome–metabolite interactions. The quantification of bioactive compounds such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile acids, and tryptophan metabolites offers mechanistic insights into microbiome-driven effects. Studies addressing upstream strain optimization, scalable fermentation, GMP-compliant manufacturing, and downstream clinical trial outcomes for both pharmaceutical and functional food applications are also within scope.

By bridging basic science, advanced modeling systems, and clinical translation, this Special Issue seeks to accelerate the development of precision-targeted microbiome therapeutics for both infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Dr. Hoonhee Seo
Dr. Sukyung Kim
Dr. Md Abdur Rahim
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • next-generation probiotics (NGPs)
  • microbiome-based therapeutics
  • metagenomics and multi-omics integration
  • microbial biomarkers
  • short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
  • artificial human microbiome simulators
  • GMP-scale production
  • clinical translation

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Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission.
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