Benchmarking the Human Microbiome
What does analysis of the last five years of the microbiome literature tell us about the priorities and progress of the field?
Alexander Maue and Randi Lundberg discuss the increasing importance of effective translational studies on the human microbiome here [link to “exploring the microbiome – with mice”], and note that research in this area has greatly increased in recent years.
The human microbiome (the collection of all microorganisms found on and in the human body) has been increasingly implicated in both health and disease – but full characterization is challenging – as is elucidating its potential role in a wide range of conditions. To provide insight into the past and likely direction of the field, we applied a series of metrics to the last five years of published literature.
We asked:
- What are the major topics for the field?
- Which publications have the greatest impact?
- How is the knowledge available online?
- Who are the most prolific authors?
PubMed was searched for “human microbiome” (for a clinical focus), with results limited to the last five years. The data were analyzed in Microsoft Excel 2013.
I have an extensive academic background in the life sciences, having studied forensic biology and human medical genetics in my time at Strathclyde and Glasgow Universities. My research, data presentation and bioinformatics skills plus my ‘wet lab’ experience have been a superb grounding for my role as a deputy editor at Texere Publishing. The job allows me to utilize my hard-learned academic skills and experience in my current position within an exciting and contemporary publishing company.