**11. Conclusions**

As more data are being generated, the importance of the gut microbiota on health will become more recognized. The advancement in characterizing the composition of the gut microbiota in humans paves the way for new and better health treatments. The techniques used for exploring the gut microbiota and characterizing the functions of the microbiota, may not necessarily be the same techniques used to diagnose and monitor treatment of gut health related diseases. The GA-map assay is a promising tool for the development of gut microbiota diagnostics in routine applications. Such assays has the potential to be set up as a high through-put service, and can also be incorporated into smaller Point-of-Care devices,

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