Human Biomedical Research
Microbes and microbiome

Human biomedical research

Unraveling the human microbiome

If it’s on or under your skin, it is worth analyzing! Studying how the gut microbiome affects someone’s mood or metabolic disorders? Are you investigating how resident microbes are affected by cancer and vice versa ? Linking the human microbiome to a research question for insightful results requires a reliable workflow from sample preparation and nucleic acid isolation to sequencing and bioinformatics.

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Gut microbiomes as a cancer therapy

A person’s microbiome affects not only their overall health but also the effectiveness of certain therapies. Dr. Hannah Wardill researches gut species with the goal of lowering the side effects that come with oncological patient care.

Let’s work together to conquer cancer
Discover the role of the microbiome in cancer research.

Metagenomic analysis of human microbiome samples

Obtaining unbiased results in 16S rRNA sequencing of human microbiome samples can be challenging. Check out this study showcasing the link between Body Mass Index (BMI) and the salivary microbiome and highlighting QIAGEN’s solutions for 16S and ITS sequencing.

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ChristopherJStewart

The microbiome of preterm infants

Dr. Christopher Stewart from the University of Newcastle comments on microbiome research and his studies. He focuses on preterm infants, with the goal of understanding how certain bacteria may predispose an infant to being healthier, or cause diseases. Learn more about the challenges Dr. Stewart experienced in his research and the QIAGEN technologies used.

Tips to get your research started

  • Learn about our NGS solutions for metagenomic analysis. See more
  • See which kit fits your sample best with our human sample selection guide.
  • Discover how to standardize microbiome nucleic acid purification using the QIAcube Connect in this webinar.
  • Take a look at the complete Sample to Insight microbiome workflow.
Microbiome, lab scientist
Don’t miss these fecal handling and storage tips
Learn how to get more quality data even from small fecal samples.
We want to hear what you have to say
Ask questions and tell us how we can help your research take off.
“With QIAGEN, we have a scientific partnership because they can help us with the technical tests, but we can help them with the expertise. We also work with a key opinion leader on the microbiome.”
Dr. Stephanie Haim-Boukobza, Laboratoire CERBA
Christopher-J-Stewart
„I find the QIAGEN DNA isolation kits to really be fantastic as a researcher. There tends to be a kit for any particular sample type that we want to use.“
Dr. Christopher Stewart, University of Newcastle
Understanding our world
Learn more about environmental and agricultural microbiome research.

FAQs about human biomedical microbiome research

What is the human microbiome?

The human microbiome is the collection of all the microorganisms (bacteria, archae, fungi, viruses and eukaryotes) that live on and inside the human body. These microbial communities are present in a multitude of different tissues, systems, regions and fluids: e.g. skin, mammary glands, seminal fluid, uterus, ovarian follicles, lung, saliva, oral cavity, conjunctiva, biliary tract, urethra, bladder, vagina and gastrointestinal tract.

What role does the human gut microbiome play in health and disease?

The gut microbiome plays a pivotal role in human health and disease and is essential for human development, immunity and nutrition. Often referred to as the microbiota-gut-brain-axis, the underlying molecular mechanisms that comprise the link between the gut microbiome and its effect on our brain and behaviour are slowly being revealed. The disturbance of the gut microbiome homeostasis has been associated with various pathological conditions, both systemic (obesity, diabetes, cancer and atopy) and gut-related (irritable bowel syndrome IBS, inflammatory bowel disease IBD).