Human Microbiome Project

Microbiology & Virology 2012

Discoverers: NIH HMP Consortium

Overview

Comprehensive characterisation of the microbial communities inhabiting the human body, cataloguing over 10,000 species across body sites.

Significance

Revealed that the human body harbours trillions of microorganisms essential for health, fundamentally changing our concept of what it means to be human.

Methodology

16S rRNA gene sequencing and whole-genome shotgun metagenomics of samples from 242 healthy volunteers across 18 body habitats.

Impact