Gut microbiota: a potential new territory for drug targeting

The emerging influence of intestinal microorganisms on human health has led to the prospect of modulating gut microbiota composition as a novel therapeutic strategy. In this article, Jia and colleagues discuss the rationale behind this approach, identify conditions to which this may be applied, and suggest technologies and strategies for the development of gut microbiota-targeted therapies. The significant involvement of the gut microbiota in human health and disease suggests that manipulation of commensal microbial composition through combinations of antibiotics, probiotics and prebiotics could be a novel therapeutic approach. A systems perspective is needed to help understand the complex host–bacteria interactions and their association with pathophysiological phenotypes so that alterations in the composition of the gut microbiota in disease states can be reversed. In this article, we describe the therapeutic rationale and potential for targeting the gut microbiota, and discuss strategies and systems-oriented technologies for achieving this goal.