The microbes that live in the gut, also known as the gut microbiota, play an important role in the well-being of the host. In the last years, the development of metagenomics and metabolomics have helped to better understand the vital role of the gut microbiome in human health and disease, however, the mechanisms and its implications are still not fully clarified. Therefore, more research and improved pipelines, protocols, and tools are needed to further investigate and understand the connection of the gut microbiome with host health. This dissertation aimed to implement and develop bioinformatic and statistical analyses to improve our understanding of the gut microbiome's role in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) pathogenesis and management. In addition, during my Ph.D., I also investigated novel microbiome-based therapeutic strategies. In the different projects that form this dissertation, it is shown that the human body together with its microbiome forms a unity of life or holobiont indispensable for the well-functioning of the organism. The different bioinformatic analyses performed highlight the important role of the gut microbiome in human health and disease, especially giving new insights in relation to NAFLD pathogenesis and management. In addition, different microbiome-based strategies are explored showing the high potential of the gut microbiome in the development of new therapies. Therefore, the use of microbiome-related information for patient therapeutics needs to be further explored and applied to improve and develop new and more personalized treatments.
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