What is Metagenomics?
Before getting into all the revolutionary stuff that metagenomics has done and continues in the direction of doing, it is necessary to have an understanding about what this topic actually is. Metagenomics is known to be a very broad subject in the sense as it is a research field as well as sets of research techniques using diverse methods and approaches. However, the big idea of metagenomics refers to the growing of characterizing genomic communities on a genome level, using methods to understand the behaviors of modified genetics and more. A genome is an organism's complete set of DNA and stores all the cellular instructions. The broad idea of metagenomics allows so many new things to be discovered coming from different angles. It has changed the research of natural bacteria by arranging all microbial DNA in an environment. This mean that instead of manipulating and changing every genome to what we think is needed, we play by the rules of the microbes and view it as a whole. Following this brief introduction and simple break through of the idea of metagenomics we shall answer the question of: "Why should I care?". Further, it will be discussed the largest current advancements, its' best uses, and how humans can continue to use metagenomics to solve greater problems in the future.
The Greatest Advancements in Metagenomics
The greatest advancement made in metagenomics is in medicine, in metagenomics you take a sample of the infections found and run all the nucleic acids at the same time which contain a population of mixed bacteria from there new discoveries are made on what the infection is. Metagenomics is very powerful and a useful tool in the field of medicine for the discovery of both veterinary and human infections and diseases. Metagenomics can uncover the imbalance of microorganisms such as bacteria in infections and illnesses by scanning over the sample of bacteria or infection. It also determines the severity of the diseases and find out what bacteria is resistant to antibiotics to help medical professionals find the best way to provide treatment to patients. Metagenomics can detect new and rare viruses, the ways they can progress and how they can pass on to others. In veterinary medicine the use of metagenomics can identify new viruses or diseases that can occur in animals leading to more treatments and medical discoveries. Metagenomics can find out a lot of useful and critical information by just running over the bacteria from the sample provided. Medicine is by far the most important advancement made by metagenomics because without it a lot of illnesses would go untreated, and more deaths would occur.
How is Metagenomics Best Used?
Metagenomics is not as prominent as other biotechnological strategies, and there aren't many recorded uses of it. However, the best way metagenomics is currently used is in conjunction with Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) to overcome problems during the culture process in order to develop better antibiotics. For example, microorganisms that are physically conjoined cannot be separated to grow in a lab, in which case metagenomic Next Generation Sequencing (mNGS) can be used to understand their function and roles within the microbiome. Another example is that some microorganisms naturally develop a resistance to external factors when isolated from their environment, which can be a struggle when studying antimicrobial resistance in organisms. The data sets from metagenomic sequencing are very useful for discovering novel microorganisms that were previously considered absent. Having a strong understanding of the relationships between microorganisms and their chemical cycle relationships with their environment is the best way metagenomics is used today in developing antibiotics for antimicrobial resistant organisms.
The Future of Metagenomics
Metagenomics is still a fairly new form of biotechnology but it has so much potential that could be built upon and utilized in the future in countless ways or directions. However, metagenomics is quite limited at the moment as the more complex versions are very expensive and time consuming. If we find a way to overcome this major obstacle it is no doubt that metagenomics can have a great impact in numerous fields such as earth sciences, life sciences, biomedical sciences, bioenergy, bioremediation, biotechnology, agriculture, biodefense and microbial forensics, and many more subcategories. A possible impact from metagenomics in earth sciences is that we could develop microbial models to describe and predict the processes, changes, and sustainability of the global environment. In life sciences, metagenomics can play a role in advancing new theory and being able to predict microbial biology, ecology, and evolution. Metagenomics could advance biomedical sciences by developing more efficient strategies for diagnosing and treating diseases with such insightful knowledge. Metagenomics has the potential to create new bioenergy resources that are more environmentally considerate, sustainable, and less vulnerable to disruption. It is possible for metagenomics to develop tools that can monitor environmental damage and environmentally friendly methods to help humanity recover a healthy ecosystem in bioremediation. In biotechnology, metagenomics has the potential to identify the variety of capacities within microbial communities to boost products of industries, food, and health. In agriculture it could be possible to find efficient ways to detect faults in food for safer consumption. As well as developing methods to increase the beneficial attributes surrounding animals and plants. Finally, in biodefense and microbial forensics, metagenomics can maximize efficiency in vaccines against threats to human health along with other species. These are just some brief innovations that can be revolutionized with the use of metagenomics. Think about all the details and smaller problems these methods can achieve. Metagenomics is definitely a grand turning point for our modern and constantly evolving world.
Conclusion
In conclusion, although it is less than 30 years old, the concept of metagenomics is highly important in our current and future understanding of the microbiome. The way in which metagenomics is structured allows for thorough understanding of specific microbiomes, which plays an important role in many environmental sciences, medical sciences, and biofuel sciences. It is certainly an expensive strategy, but if biotechnologists invest time and money into technology suitable for metagenomics, we can produce much better results in many biological fields. The future of biosciences depends on metagenomics.
Core Competency
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