How microbiome research is moving from discovery to impact What if the key to understanding diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s, or even depression lies not just in our own cells, but in the trillions of microbes that live within and around us? On World Microbiome Day, let’s look at how the microbiome has rapidly grown into one of the most exciting frontiers in life sciences. As scientists, including several research groups at VIB, move beyond simply cataloguing microbes; a new phase is emerging,.