The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the rules of the game so that social structures are more permeable to change. To better understand this new reality, we interviewed two ”la Caixa” fellows who are leading changes in their respective sectors.

For some years now we have been aware of the fact that human cells live alongside a huge array of micro-organisms inside our bodies, mainly in the digestive tract and the skin, but also inside the reproductive and respiratory systems.  However, over the course of the last decade we have discovered the fundamental role that this collection of microscopic beings — otherwise known as the ‘microbiome’ — plays in our health. We spoke to two experts in this field, Roger Paredes and Bernat Ollé, both researchers and ”la Caixa” Fellows. They discussed what we currently know about the microbiome and how it could lead to revolution in how we prevent and treat diseases.