At the Pharmabiotic Conference 2026, Julie Rodriguez, researcher at Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research, France) explored the main categories of microbiome-based biomarkers and their potential applications in clinical practice.

Despite the growing number of promising candidates, their qualification and translation into routine care remain limited by several methodological, regulatory and practical challenges. These include insufficient knowledge of qualification procedures, limited resources and incentives, difficulties in managing the high interindividual variability of the microbiome, and the lack of adequately validated analytical methods.

A further obstacle is the scarcity of quantitative data and standardized thresholds needed to interpret results reliably. Addressing these issues will be essential to transform microbiome-based biomarkers from promising research tools into robust and clinically useful instruments.