During the 13th Probiotics, Prebiotics and New Foods Congress, Microbiomepost.com conducted an exclusive interview with Lorenza Putignani (Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesù, Italy) to discuss translational research in the microbiome field.

Translational research has played a pivotal role in advancing microbiome science, particularly by supporting the standardization of omics platforms, analytical pipelines, and laboratory procedures. As the field moves beyond descriptive studies, the current challenge is to translate microbiome knowledge into clinically relevant diagnostics and therapeutics. In this perspective, next-generation sequencing remains fundamental for defining the ecological composition of microbial communities, but it is increasingly complemented by mass spectrometry-based approaches that enable deeper functional characterization through metabolomics and metaproteomics. The integration of these multi-layered datasets is essential to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of microbiome patterns, combining ecological and functional information into a unified framework. While much of the evidence to date has focused on the gut microbiome, future research will need to extend standardized approaches to other microbial niches, including the respiratory tract and skin. Strengthening methodological standardization across microbiome studies will be crucial for building robust diagnostic pipelines capable of generating targeted microbial profiles. In turn, these advances may support the development of precision therapeutic strategies, including probiotic interventions, nutritional modifications, and fecal microbiota transplantation. Overall, translational research is expected to serve as the bridge between laboratory innovation and the implementation of microbiome-based precision medicine.