The Laboratory of Microbiome and Microecological Technology (hereafter “Microecology Lab”) was established in 2023 within the Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences as a key interdisciplinary research unit of the institute. It was strategically founded to address critical national needs and public health priorities.

With the mission of “decipher microbiome functions and overcome bottlenecks in microecological medicine,” the lab is dedicated to researching the role of human microecology in the prevention and control of major diseases. It conducts systematic research on the structure and function of microbiomes, host-microbe interaction mechanisms, and clinical translation, aiming to promote technological innovation and industrial application in the field of microecological medicine. Eventually, the lab strives to provide scientific and technological support for the “Healthy China” initiative.

Research Positioning and Directions

Relying on national-level research platforms, the Microecology Lab integrates multi-omics, artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and bioinformatics technologies to establish a complete innovation chain spanning basic research, technology development, and clinical translation. Its primary research directions include:

1. Structure and Function of Microbiome: Using multidimensional omics technologies such as metagenomics and metabolomics to uncover the dynamic changes and their regulatory networks of microbiomes under both health and diseased conditions.

2. Mechanisms of Microbiome-Host Interactions: Investigating the bidirectional regulatory mechanisms between microbiomes and host immune, metabolic, and neural systems, and elucidating their roles in major chronic diseases including cancer, metabolic disorders, and immune-related diseases.

3. Development and Application of Microecological Technologies: Developing microbiome-targeted intervention strategies, including functional microbiota screening and evaluation, R&D of live biotherapeutic products, and construction of synthetic microbial systems.

4. Innovative Technologies and Methods in Microbiome Research: Establishing intelligent big-data analysis platforms, microbial resource repositories, and high-throughput functional screening systems to overcome the key bottlenecks of “culturability” and “causality” in microbiome studies.



Guided by the mission of serving as a "National Science and Technology Team", the Microecology Lab is dedicated to addressing strategic national needs in biomedicine. It strives to achieve breakthroughs in elucidating microbiome-disease mechanisms and advancing microecology-based drug development to provide novel targets and strategies for clinical diagnosis and treatment.