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Precision microbiome medicine and therapeutics: the enabling role of in vitro gut models

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: The human gut microbiome exhibits profound interindividual variability, challenging the efficacy of generalized interventions and underscoring the need for precision approaches to microbiome-associated diseases. Such strategies require comprehensive, individualized assessment of microbial ecosystems and their functional responses, an objective that remains difficult to achieve in vivo. In vitro gut models offer a promising alternative, maintaining personalized microbial communities in controlled environments and enabling detailed investigation of microbiome dynamics. Complementary microbe-host co-culture systems incorporating human cells further permit mechanistic interrogation of host responses to microbial stimuli. Together, these integrated platforms offer a translational framework for developing tailored therapeutics. In this Perspective, we examine how in vitro gut models can advance microbiome-based personalized medicine, discuss key determinants of therapeutic variability, and outline the relevance, limitations, and future directions of these systems in designing targeted, more effective interventions.

Source: FEMS Microbiology Reviews

DOI: 10.1093/femsre/fuag038

Authors: Zhan Huang, Siew C Ng, Harry Sokol, Nathalie Rolhion