For every human cell of the body, ten microbial cells exist in or on the body.  The interaction of these two genomes—human and microbial—are fundamental to human physiology and extend to pathogenic conditions such as gastrointestinal disorders (e.g. ulcerative colitis), diabetes, obesity and inflammation.  A company, Second Genome (South San Francisco, CA) is exploring the interaction of our two genomes hoping to discover new therapeutic drug targets.  Johnson & Johnson is supporting this research.  MORE