Gut Microbiome
The collection of microbes that resides in the human intestine profoundly influences our metabolism, our immune system, and our susceptibility to infections. The hundreds of thousands of genes in the genomes of these microbes are attractive targets for therapeutic intervention because they are associated with distinct microbial entities that can be individually introduced or eliminated by relatively non-invasive means.
In addition, the microbiota is a notable environmental determinant of health because it’s constituents are heritable and transmissible within and across human populations. This feature presents an opportunity to make broad and long-lasting improvements to health in communities where food insecurity, infectious agents, environmental toxicants, and/or antibiotics have disrupted the optimal functions of the gut ecosystem.
Our faculty are pursuing the mechanisms that underlie gut microbiota perturbations as well as their consequences for microbial pathogenesis, immunity, neurobiology, and nutrition.
Faculty
