Researchers at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute have participated in a study to evaluate protocols for the processing of human faecal samples used in metagenomics studies in order to detect weaknesses that may interfere with the results of microbiome analysis.In the realization of this international study, which is published today in the http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nbt.3960.html?foxtrotcallback=true" Nature Biotechnology journal, 21 laboratories from 11 countries participated, including the VHIR http://www.vhir.org/portal1/grup-equip.asp?s=recerca&contentid=187018&idrefer=187018 Physiopathology and Digestive Physiology Laboratory.With the creation of the MetaHIT consortium, in 2008, the researchers began to suspect that the different methods of harvesting, processing and analysis could lead to different results from the same sample. So, in 2012 they launched the International Human Microbiome Standards project to detect which are the points that can interfere the most with the results of a microbiome analysis.In order to carry out the study, each of the faecal samples was treated in 21 laboratories using the same protocol they normally use. Once the entire process was completed, the differences in the microbial community composition were quantified and we could see which of these differences were attributed to the same protocol and what to biological variations."Once we detected the weaknesses of each protocol, they came to the conclusion that the procedure for DNA extraction is the most interfering step in the results of microbiome analysis," explains Dr. Chaysavanh Manichanh, Head of the Research Line of Intestinal Microbiota of the Physiology and Digestive Physiology Group of the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR).Based on these results, the researchers consider that a standardized DNA extraction method for human faecal samples would be recommended, which facilitates the transfer of information between laboratories, as this will improve the comparability of human intestinal microbiome studies and will facilitate meta-analyses.The study of the microbiome at the VHIRTaking into account the recommendations from the International Human Microbiome standards, researchers at VHIR are studying the role of the human microbiome in various disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and liver disease. For this purpose, the group performs clinical as well as pre-clinical studies and develops molecular as well as bioinformatics approaches to study the composition and the function of the gut microbial community.