Post by Céline Druart

📖 Terminology matters. I am delighted to see the publication of this comment in Nature Communications proposing the term Defined Microbial Community (DMC) as a clearer alternative to the widely used term "SynCom". As microbiome-based innovations continue to expand across human health, agriculture, food production, and environmental applications, the words we use matter. Scientific and regulatory progress depends not only on robust evidence but also on clear, consistent, and unambiguous terminology. One sentence from the publication particularly resonated with me: "The proposed term 'Defined Microbial Community' aligns well with this regulatory language, but emphasizes 'defined' to indicate a specified, reproducible composition of intentionally assembled, well-characterized strains. Additionally, the term avoids negative connotations and thus might help accelerate the implementation of microbiome-based solutions in human medicine, agriculture, food production, and environmental management." This reflects a principle that we have long promoted at Pharmabiotic Research Institute (PRI). For many years, we have encouraged our members and the wider microbiome community to adopt terminology that is scientifically accurate, clearly defined, and understandable to regulators, policymakers, healthcare professionals, and end users. As a field, we have a collective responsibility to avoid unnecessary confusion. Defining and harmonising terminology is not merely a semantic exercise; it is an essential step towards building trust, facilitating regulatory interactions, enabling interdisciplinary collaboration, and ultimately accelerating innovation. The microbiome sector is maturing rapidly. Establishing clear and consistent language is one of the foundations that will help support its sustainable growth and adoption. Congratulations to Angela Sessitsch, Tanja Kostic, Stéphane Chaillou and all co-authors for leading this important initiative and contributing to greater clarity across the microbiome field. #Microbiome #RegulatoryScience #DefinedMicrobialCommunity #MicrobialCommunities #MicrobiomeInnovation #ScientificCommunication #Terminology #OneHealth