Capturing the Complex Interplay Between Drugs and the Intestinal Microbiome.

Predicting drug interactions, disposition, and side effects is central to the practice of clinical pharmacology. Until recently, the human microbiome has been an under-appreciated player in the dynamics of drug metabolism. It is now clear that humans are “superorganisms” with about 10-fold more microbial cells than human cells and harboring an immense diversity of microbial enzymes. Owing to the advent of new technologies, we are beginning to understand the human microbiome’s impact on clinical pharmacology.