Decoding Microbiome-Derived Therapeutics in Non-Communicable Diseases and Aging: Science, Applications, and Future

The gut microbiome plays a central role in the development and progression of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD/MAFLD), colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel conditions. As the field of microbiome science matures, a new class of gut-targeted therapeutics is emerging, from prebiotics and probiotics to postbiotics, microbial metabolites, bacterial extracellular vesicles, and fecal microbiota transplantation, with the potential to reshape how we prevent and manage these conditions at a mechanistic level.

Aging further complicates this landscape. Gut dysbiosis is increasingly recognised as both a driver and a consequence of inflammaging, contributing to declining metabolic function, immune dysregulation, and increased NCD burden in older populations. Understanding how microbiome-derived interventions can be targeted to restore gut homeostasis and attenuate disease progression in the context of aging is a critical and underexplored area.

This Research Topic invites original research articles, systematic reviews, and clinical studies exploring the pharmacological mechanisms and translational applications of microbiome-derived therapeutics in gut-related NCDs and aging. Topics of interest include:

Gut microbiome-host interactions in metabolic diseases, liver disease, and colorectal cancer
Pharmacological mechanisms of prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, and synbiotics in NCD prevention and management
Microbial metabolites (short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, tryptophan derivatives) as therapeutic targets
Bacterial extracellular vesicles and synthetic microbial consortia in disease modulation
Fecal microbiota transplantation: clinical outcomes, safety, and regulatory considerations
Gut dysbiosis, inflammaging, and microbiome-targeted strategies to promote healthy aging
Biomarkers, multi-omics approaches, and precision medicine in microbiome-based therapy

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Microbiome Research, Non-Communicable Diseases, Healthy Aging, Microbiome-Derived Therapeutics, Microbiome-Host Interactions

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.