NIST highlights need for reference materials as consumer microbiome tests vary widely

Sam Forry of the National Institute of Standards and Technology outlined why metagenomic sequencing results can differ markedly across laboratories and services, and described two practical tools NIST is advancing to improve comparability. "Reference material 8048 was demonstrated by measurements to be both homogeneous...and stable," Forry said, noting NIST characterized the material by metagenomic sequencing and metabolomics to help labs trace and correct measurement drift.

Forry described how internal standards — known exogenous microbes added to a sample early in processing — can help correct compositional distortions introduced across the sequencing pipeline. He also presented data from a NIST comparison in which identical aliquots of fecal material sent to eight anonymized providers produced widely divergent alpha- and beta-diversity results, underscoring the need for reference materials, method qualification, and shared benchmarks before clinical interpretation of consumer tests can be reliable.