National Institute of Standards and Technology releases reference material for gut microbiome research

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In an April 2, 2025, press release¹, the nonprofit Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences (IAFNS) announced the release of reference material (RM) for gut microbiome research from U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). As noted in the press release, the lack of samples available for comparison and issues with the reproducibility of results provides a challenge for laboratories and inhibits research. The reference material was created with support from the IAFNS Nutrition for Gut Health Committee and is intended to support the progress of human health and disease research.

“We hope our reference material will lay the foundation for gut microbiome research to thrive and reach its full potential,” stated NIST molecular geneticist Scott Jackson, in a March 17 press release². “We’re moving toward a time when we can all agree on exactly what we’re talking about when we’re discussing the human gut microbiome.”

As the press release explained, gut microbiome activity has been linked with various conditions and diseases including obesity, diabetes, mental illness, and cancer, and that targeting the gut microbiome with a new class of drugs can also target the conditions.

A November 2024 study partially supported by the IAFNS Gut Health Committee assessed human stool samples (from vegan and omnivore donors to ensure a range of variability²) as candidates to be used as for the reference material. The study involved 18 institutions using various preferred analytical techniques, defined chemical fingerprints for the cohorts, and resulted in the development of two microbiome stool sample reference materials, “RM 8048 Human Fecal Material,” available from NIST in eight 100-milligram tubes along with information on the microbes and metabolites².

“This collaborative exercise emphasized the broad chemical survey possible with multi-technique approaches,” researchers stated in the study’s conclusion. “Community engagement is essential for the evaluation and characterization of common materials designed to facilitate comparability and ensure data quality underscoring the value of determining current practices, challenges, and progress of a field through interlaboratory studies.”

Additionally, NIST is also working on “RGTM 10212 Fecal Metabolite Mixture,” aiming to validate the performance of laboratory instruments.

IAFNS will hold a webinar on April 29, 2025, to host NIST explaining more information on the reference material.

References

1. Institute for the Advancement of Food and Nutrition Sciences. New Gut Microbiome Reference Material Set to Transform the Field https://www.newswise.com/articles/new-gut-microbiome-reference-material-set-to-transform-the-field (accessed 04-11-2025).
2. National Institute of Standards and Technology. NIST Releases Reference Material to Aid Gut Microbiome Research https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2025/03/nist-releases-reference-material-aid-gut-microbiome-research (accessed 04-11-2025).
3. Cruz, AK.; Alves, MA.; Andresson, T. et al. Multiplatform metabolomic interlaboratory study of a whole human stool candidate reference material from omnivore and vegan donors. Metabolomics. 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s11306-024-02185-0.