Human microbiota

Young ophthalmologist Davide Borroni, 36, who currently lives in Stresa, Italy and works between Milan and Liverpool, was awarded the 2021 Melchionda Award as part of the XII National Congress of the Italian Association of Ophthalmologists (Aimo), held in Rome last October. It is a coveted award established by the Melchionda brothers in memory of their father and is assigned to the best research work.
In this regard, Dr. Borroni gave a speech entitled ‘The human microbiota: the new frontier of medicine’.

“The microbiota is the set of all microorganisms on the surface of our eye, therefore on our conjunctiva and our cornea. It is connected to ophthalmology because it allows us to diagnose eye diseases, from dry eye to uveitis, and allows us to treat these diseases better, when we know how to analyze it”, explained Borroni.

“Thanks also to the new Ngs (Next Generation Sequencing) techniques in the field of metagenomics – he continues – it is possible to quantify our microbiome, understand what is altered and try to regularize it in a precise and targeted way”.

This is therefore a step forward in the field of diagnostics: the technique consists in the application of metagenomics in the field of the ocular microbiome, but above all it is the first real translation into the practical field that shows how this technique can improve, in daily practice, the therapy for the patients.