Microbiome News and Research

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Developing new therapies that leverage the host immune system

Yersinia bacteria cause a variety of human and animal diseases, the most notorious being the plague, caused by Yersinia pestis. A relative, Yersinia pseudotuberculosis, causes gastrointestinal illness and is less deadly but naturally infects both mice and humans, making it a useful model for studying its interactions with the immune system.

14 Mar 2023

Understanding the relationship between gut microbiome and CAR T-cell therapy response

Microorganisms live in or on almost every part of the human body and play an important role in the regulation of normal human processes. As a result, changes in the number or type of microorganisms, also known as the microbiome, can contribute to disease and altered responses to therapy, including cancer treatment.

14 Mar 2023

Study shows mothers provide necessary microbes to babies born via cesarean

Can newborns delivered by cesarean surgery lack vital microbes? Recent data suggests that “no” could be the answer. Mothers are able to transmit bacteria to their babies through alternative, compensating channels, according to research published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe on March 8th, 2023.

10 Mar 2023

New signals of natural selection in humans identified

A team of global experts has discovered new signals of natural selection in humans.

2 Mar 2023

New model, C. elegans, helps pursue research on Parkinson's disease

A tiny worm called the C. elegans is enabling scientists to explore the emerging theory that Parkinson's disease starts in the gut.

1 Mar 2023

Modifying patients' intestinal flora could be a new therapeutic approach for colon cancer

Studies show that certain bacteria may contribute to the development of colorectal cancer by producing toxins that may damage colon cells or cause an accumulation of DNA mutations and/or intestinal inflammation.

23 Feb 2023

Adults struggling with chronic constipation benefit from a vibrating capsule

A vibrating capsule designed to stir the colon to action appears to double the ability for adults struggling with debilitating chronic constipation to defecate more normally and without drugs, researchers report.

22 Feb 2023

New technique uses amino acids to cure meat and poultry products

Imagine your favorite cured meat like beef jerky, pepperoni or bacon without any added sodium nitrite from any source currently necessary for color and shelf life. Wes Osburn, Ph.D., is doing exactly that.

22 Feb 2023

Effect of prune supplementation on the gut microbiome of postmenopausal women

New research published in the journal Food & Function indicates that daily prune consumption may improve the gut fecal microbiome of postmenopausal women. The fecal microbiome – the ecosystem of microorganisms found in one's fecal matter – reflects an individual's overall gut health. Results from the study showed notable enrichment in bacteria from the family Lachnospiraceae. This group of bacteria has been associated with an ability to decrease inflammatory markers in the body and help maintain the integrity of the gut barrier.

16 Feb 2023

New center at UCLA focuses on the microbiome’s role in disease prevention

Among the most promising areas of scientific inquiry is the study of the human microbiome and its effect on health. To fuel more rapid progress in this field, Andrea and Donald Goodman and Renee and Meyer Luskin have made a $20 million gift to establish the UCLA Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center.

16 Feb 2023

Tackling child undernutrition by targeting the gut microbiome

According to research conducted by the Queen Mary University of London, nutritional interventions used to combat child undernutrition in low and middle-income countries should focus on gut microbiome development instead of just human nutritional needs in an attempt to improve child growth and development more efficaciously.

15 Feb 2023

Baby kangaroo feces may offer a solution to reduce methane emissions from cattle

Baby kangaroo feces might help provide an unlikely solution to the environmental problem of cow-produced methane.

15 Feb 2023

Blastocystis can promote or disrupt gut health, study finds

The gut microbiota contains trillions of bacteria that can promote health or cause disease under different conditions.

14 Feb 2023

Review highlights the pathological significance of CEACAM1, 5, and 6

A new review was published in Genes & Cancer on February 1, 2023, entitled, "CEACAMS 1, 5, and 6 in disease and cancer: interactions with pathogens."

14 Feb 2023

BlueRemediomics aims to synergize marine microbiome data and biobank resources from across Europe

The European Commission has funded the BlueRemediomics project, which will develop novel tools and approaches to cataloguing marine microbiome data and marine culture collections.

13 Feb 2023

Engineering a phage's DNA by introducing modified CRISPR-Cas machinery genes

Bacteriophages (or phages) are viruses that infect bacteria. They are the most abundant biological entity, and they can be found wherever bacteria live. To propagate themselves, phages inject their DNA into their bacterial hosts.

13 Feb 2023

Specific types of gut fungi play a role in infant weight gain and growth

Researchers in the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) at the University of Calgary in collaboration with the Canadian CHILD Study have found a link between the diversity, or number, of fungal species in the infant gut and the body-mass index (BMI) of infants.

10 Feb 2023

Differences in the gut microbiomes of people with ME/CFS revealed

Discrepancies in the gut microbiomes of people having myalgic encephalomyelitis or chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) than those of healthy controls have been disclosed by newly performed research.

9 Feb 2023

Understanding how tiny organisms thrive after wildfires

UC Riverside researchers have identified tiny organisms that not only survive but thrive during the first year after a wildfire. The findings could help bring land back to life after fires that are increasing in both size and severity.

8 Feb 2023

Non-immunosuppressive strategy mitigates immune-mediated intestinal diseases

The severity of immune-mediated intestinal diseases like graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) or inflammatory bowel disease is known to be associated with changes in the gut microbiome, but what causes such disruption in the microbial community is unknown.

3 Feb 2023