Reproducibility in microbiomics

Returning to the contentious topic of the Reproducibility crisis – the inability of many study results to be replicated by different research groups or labs – this episode, supported by Zymo Research, zeros in on the topic within the field of microbiomics. Speaking to me about the topic is Raul Cano, Chief Scientific Officer at the BioCollective. Raul discusses the crisis and explains why it is prevalent in the emerging field of microbiomics before taking a look at the key role that microbiomics is beginning to play in the field of diagnostics, and how – if we make changes now – lasting improvements can be made in the field. Raul also lays out the three key areas that are holding back reproducibility in microbiomics and explains the actions that can be taken to improve the situation. Contents: Introduction: 00:00-02:00Explaining the reproducibility crisis: 02:00-02:55How microbiomics compare to other fields in terms of reproducibility: 02:55-04:05Challenges in reproducibility specific to microbiomics: 04:05-05:45The importance of reproducibility in microbiomics: 05:45-07:00Microbiomics in diagnostics: 07:00-10:00 Three key causes of poor reproducibility in microbiomics: 10:00-11:30Is detailed documentation improving in the life sciences? 11:30- 13:00Actions that can improve reproducibility: 13:00-14:15Fecal references: 14:15-16:05The realities of preparing fecal references: 16:05-18:1 5The reception to the new fecal references: 18:15-20:35References vs Standards: 20:35-22:15Standardizing microbiomics data: 22:15-23:20Assessing reproducibility in previous studies: 23:20-25:15Dreams for reproducibility in microbiomics: 25:15-26:55 This episode is supported by Zymo Research. If you would like more information about the fecal reference mentioned in the podcast, you can visit the product page here.