CMIT Clinical Research Talk & Mixer: Disordered eating, obesity, and the gut microbiome

The Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics held a Clinical Research Talk and Mixer on February 5, 2025, featuring the research of Dr. Jason Zhang, MD PhD, a CMIT clinical scientist and physician in the Boston Children’s Hospital Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, & Nutrition.  

Dr. Zhang’s talk, “Commensal bacteria that are depleted in obesity activate enteroendocrine cells and improve host metabolism,” described his work with Blautia species — common bacteria in the human gut that are depleted in people with obesity and diabetes, that he has found also to be depleted in children with Loss of Control eating. Culturing Blautia species from CMIT’s bacterial libraries, Dr. Zhang and his colleagues demonstrated that they produced metabolites (acyl amines) that activated gut epithelial receptors and induced secretion of gut hormones, including GLP-1, that are known to regulate appetite and blood sugar levels. The researchers found that administering Blautia acyl amines in mice significantly improved glycemic control. In addition, they found that depletion of Blautia acyl amine synthesis genes was associated with severe obesity in two human cohorts. Drawing on these results, Dr. Zhang discussed the idea that Blautia species provide a potential target for microbiome-focused obesity therapeutics.

Over thirty people joined the event, representing local academic research institutions, hospitals, and life-science venture capital. The Center’s next event — the Annual Microbiome Symposium, organized by the MIT Microbiome Club — will take place on March 7.