A Step Forward to Empower Global Microbiome Research Through Local Leadership

Abstract

TIMI 1361 No. of Pages 5 Science & Society A Step Forward to Empower Global Microbiome Research Through Local Leadership Victor S. Pylro, 1, * Tsai S. Mui, 2 Jorge L.M. Rodrigues, 3 Fernando D. Andreote, 4 Luiz F.W. Roesch, 5, * and the Working Group Supporting the INCT Microbiome 6 Obtaining the full microbial potential to benefit local communities and citizens, as well as ongoing conservation efforts, is a major challenge for Brazil and other developing countries. We propose poli- cies and priorities for organizing micro- biome studies locally and worldwide, aiming for a comprehensive catalogue of microbiomes, as recently urged. Microorganisms are recognized as a fun- damental resource for creating a fast and efficient strategy for ecosystem manage- ment and scientific and technological development. Microbial community assembly and functions are tightly linked to local geographic and environmental features [1]. Developing countries, such as Brazil, house biomes evolving under specific environmental conditions that likely harbor unique microbiomes. Chal- lenges in profiling microbial diversity include a lack of standardized methods and metadata collection that precludes robust interstudy comparisons, limiting the value of these studies [2–4]. Advances in sequencing technologies and associ- ated bioinformatics approaches should now enable comparison of the diversity, abundance, and function of microbial communities at much greater resolution than was previously possible [5]. Recently, three papers have pointed to the need for microbiome research coordination [4,6,7]. These proposals envisioned guidelines for intellectual-property rights, research prior- ities for funding (including a long-term interagency funding strategy), the devel- opment of new analytical tools, training programs, data integration through an in-country distributed data center and pol- icies on data sharing. We argue here that there is a need for developing local lead- ership in microbiome research [8] and propose establishing an initiative to foster international collaborations in order to marshal microbiome research in Brazil. Recently, the US government, along with the private sector, has announced a sig- nificant budget to launch the National Microbiome Initiative (NMI) [9]. Consider- ing geography as an important part of the microbiome puzzle, the development of local initiatives will strengthen the NMI and provide a basis for a global micro- biome effort [6]. In 2008, the Brazilian Ministry of Science and Technology consolidated an impor- tant strategy to restructure policies of sci- entific development, implementing the National Institutes of Science and Tech- nology (INCT in Portuguese). The main objectives of the INCT are to strengthen national research, increase training, inter- nationalize groups, and transfer knowl- edge to society, business sectors, and government when appropriate. Despite a direct relationship with the strategic themes established by public policies of the Brazilian government, the systematic study of microbiomes and their biotech- nological potential remain limited. We have proposed a systematic study of Bra- zil's microbial resources as a valuable new focus area for the INCT efforts. Although pressed by the economic slump, political crisis, and their conse- quences for science and technology [10], Brazil is moving forward on micro- biome research. The National Council of Technological and Scientific Develop- ment (CNPq) has recommended the cre- ation of a National Institute of Science and Technology to advance microbial research–the INCT Microbiome i . During the next months, a combined evaluation by the CNPq and other Brazilian agencies supporting research, such as CAPES, FINEP and FAPESP (Sao Paulo Research Foundation), will forge a definitive agree- ment for assembling this institute, poten- tially awarding it a budget of up to 10 million Brazilian Reais (US$ 2.8 million). The INCT Microbiome aims to be a center of international excellence seeking to coordinate and provide guidance to microbiome researchers, besides bal- ancing inequality of research opportuni- ties in Brazil. Low- and middle-income countries are usually prevented from per- forming state-of-the-art microbiome research due to a lack of structure or to a lack of well-trained people. Local initia- tives might benefit from a core center housing all the necessary infrastructure and trained scientists, to provide high- quality project design, cutting-edge tech- nology (sample processing, sequencing, etc.) and training on data analyses to deliver the best solutions to collaborators. The benefits brought by such an endeavor will be essential to consolidate the local initiative envisioned to advance Brazilian microbial studies [8]. We hope that this initiative can serve as a template for leadership of microbiome research in other developing countries. The Brazilian Microbiome Project (BMP) ii [11] was set up in 2013, and this will form the basis for the INCT Microbiome. Now, Brazil is expected to advance on it, uniting microbiome investigators to support the development of an unprecedented knowl- edge base of microbial resources. In 2012, Brazil moved forward in the assess- ment and use of biodiversity by joining the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and by creating the Biodiversity Portal iii in 2015. However, microbial infor- mation has been ignored, as has hap- pened in previous attempts to explore biological resources in Brazil [12]. A new database is required to combine Brazilian microbial data with other biodiversity data, including GBIF, and in agreement with the Brazilian laws of biodiversity data sharing (normative instruction 02/2015 of the Trends in Microbiology, Month Year, Vol. xx, No. yy