The Benefits of Microbiome Research and the Need for Ethical Practices

Key Highlights :

1. Microbiome research can lead to medical breakthroughs to treat diseases like inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes.

2. Indigenous communities often have been excluded from the research process and may miss out on the benefits that result from their contributions to science.

3. Two perspectives pieces published today (Sept. 28) in Nature Microbiology by an international team, including Weyrich, of non-Indigenous and Indigenous researchers lay out a framework for ethical microbiome research practices that include Indigenous communities and ensure that these communities reap the benefits from their contributions.

4. Weyrich: The single biggest factor that drives global microbiome differences is whether or not someone lives in an industrialized country.

5. Industrialized microbiomes are now linked to many chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

6. Today, microbiome researchers hope that Indigenous peoples' microbiomes—as a proxy for non-industrialized microbiomes—may provide new solutions to widespread chronic disease.

7. Sometimes these are diseases that don't impact all Indigenous communities, which can result in an extractive process, where researchers are getting samples and information from Indigenous communities to solve problems that don't impact Indigenous people.

8. The research needs to be equitable and beneficial for all involved.

9. Handsley-Davis: There are several reasons, but I think one of the biggest drivers is the increasing popularity of the idea that understanding Indigenous peoples' microbiomes will somehow help to solve chronic health problems that are widespread in the industrialized world.

10. Another reason could be a desire to better understand health problems that affect Indigenous communities and that may be linked to the microbiome.

11. In your paper, you also discuss the concept of relationality.

12. Relationality is the idea that we are interconnected with each other and our world. With this relationship comes the responsibility to act with care and respect.

13. We use relationality as a framework to emphasize how humans, our microbes and our environment exist in relationship with each other, and our research ethics must recognize this relationship.

     In this day and age, it is becoming increasingly clear that the human body is home to a vast array of microorganisms, including bacteria and viruses. These microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiome, can be found on the skin and in organs such as the digestive tract. Research into the microbiome has the potential to lead to medical breakthroughs, with the potential to treat diseases such as inflammatory bowel syndrome and diabetes.

     However, the potential benefits of microbiome research are not evenly distributed across all communities. Indigenous communities, in particular, have had their microbiome samples used to further Western medicine, yet these communities often do not benefit from the research process or the resulting medical breakthroughs.

     In order to rectify this issue, an international team of non-Indigenous and Indigenous researchers have published two perspectives pieces in Nature Microbiology. The articles, linked by focus, lay out a framework for ethical microbiome research practices that include Indigenous communities and ensure that these communities reap the benefits from their contributions to science.

     The framework, developed by Laura Weyrich, associate professor of anthropology and bioethics at Penn State, Matilda Handsley-Davis, R&D communications specialist at Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and Alyssa Bader, who is Tsimshian and an assistant professor of anthropology at McGill University, includes the concept of microbiome ownership. This means that someone could own or have rights to their own bacteria, and that they could benefit or profit from the commercialization of these microbes.

     The framework also emphasizes the importance of relationality, or the idea that we are interconnected with each other and our world. Relationality is key to ensuring that Indigenous communities are not exploited, and that they are treated with respect and given the opportunity to benefit from the research process.

     In order to make sure that Indigenous communities are not exploited, researchers must take the time to understand and honor community perspectives and priorities. It is also important to openly discuss the risks and benefits of a research project and agree on how they will be shared early on.

     Ultimately, the framework developed by Weyrich, Handsley-Davis, and Bader provides an important starting point for researchers wanting to work in this area. By adhering to ethical practices and taking the time to understand and honor community perspectives, researchers can ensure that Indigenous communities are not exploited and that they are able to benefit from the research process.

Continue Reading at Source : phys