Special | 29 May 2019

The second phase of the 10-year NIH-funded Human Microbiome Project (HMP2) has reached its fruition in the form of a collection of studies addressing the role of the microbiota in inflammatory bowel disease, the onset of type 2 diabetes and in pregnancy and preterm birth. Through the power of multi-omic technologies and clinical analyses, these studies provide the most comprehensive analysis of both the host and the microbiota to date, revealing important insights into the complex interplay between these partners and how this changes over time. The work of the HMP has generated vital resources and analytical tools that continue to fuel progress in the field, and has set a precedent for future human multi-omic studies that strive to integrate basic and clinical science.

We are pleased to present this Nature collection of commentary and research publications from across Nature journals and related publications from HMP2.