Consideration on the Standardization and Industrialization of Human Microbiome Technologies in Japan

Human microbiome technologies have attracted attention as a new therapeutic modality. However, in order for the technologies to form a new industry, standardizing human microbiome analysis should be the first priority to ensure the reliability and quality of human microbiome data. The objective of this study was to clarify the current situation regarding the standardization of human microbiome analysis and the potential of human microbiome technologies to be industrialized in Japan. This study considered the future prospectives of the standardization of microbiome analysis along with its challenges. In addition, the industrialization of human microbiome technologies was discussed with particular consideration of the situational differences between Japan and the United States. The following challenges were identified: 1) “Innovator’s Dilemma” in human microbiome technologies, 2) obsolescence of consortium-driven standards, 3) fragmentation of microbiome data, 4) insufficient collaborations between organizations, and 5) inadequate government funding for basic research. Further, the following requirements were identified for the industrialization of human microbiome technologies in Japan: 1) facilitation of the microbiome analysis business, 2) development of diagnostic technologies, 3) development of peripheral technologies, 4) improvement in the quality of and access to open data on the human microbiome, and 5) investment in drug discovery research.