The microbes in our body together with our own cells constitute the human being. These microbes consist of 100 trillion cells, ten-fold more than our own cells, and encode at least 100-fold more genes than our own genome. They have a profound influence on human physiology and are crucial for human life. Detailed understanding of human biology, health and disease will require unraveling the many roles of the microbes in our body.

The first MetaHIT international conference will encompass recent and ongoing research aiming to:

* describe the Human Microbiome, via studies of its metagenome and of genomes of bacteria that constitute it
* develop the tools enabling characterization of individual metagenomes
* organize and interpret the vast amounts of heterogeneous data, extending from genomics to human phenotypes and even the life style
* establish relationships between the composition of the human microbiome and human health and disease

Current dynamics of the most exciting research in the field and the participation of the leading international scientists, ensure that the conference will remain a landmark event for the Human Metagenome and Microbiome.