Emerging importance of stool preservation methods in OMICS studies with special focus on cancer biology

Abstract The intricate consortium of microorganisms in the human gut plays a crucial role in different physiological functions. The complex known‐unknown elements of the gut microbiome are perplexing and the absence of standardized procedures for collecting and preserving samples has hindered continuous research in comprehending it. The technological bias produced because of lack of standard protocols has affected the reproducibility of results. The complex nature of diseases like colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma and breast cancer require a thorough understanding of its etiology for an efficient and timely diagnosis. The designated protocols for collection and preservation of stool specimens have great variance, hence generate inconsistencies in OMICS studies. Due to the complications associated to the nature of sample, it is important to preserve the sample to be studied later in a laboratory or to be used in the future research purpose. Stool preservation is gaining importance due to the increased use of treatment options like fecal microbiota transplantation to cure conditions like recurrent Clostridium difficile infections and for OMICS studies including metagenomics, metabolomics and culturomics. This review provides an insight into the importance of omics studies for the identification and development of novel biomarkers for quick and noninvasive diagnosis of various diseases.