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An Interview with Dr. Jessica R. Allegretti, MD, MPH
Dr. Jessica Allegretti is an inspiring example of a clinician who works passionately to improve the lives of those suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
A Library of Human Gut Bacterial Isolates Paired with Longitudinal Multiomics Data Enables Mechanistic Microbiome Research
The Broad Institute and OpenBiome Microbiome Library (BIO-ML) now supplies a comprehensive collection of nearly 8,000 intestinal bacterial isolates, paired with nearly 4,000 genome sequences, to serve as an open access investigational resource.
Discovery and Inhibition of an Interspecies Gut Bacterial Pathway for Levodopa Metabolism
One of the promising areas of emerging microbiome research is the impact of our intestinal flora on drug pharmacokinetics.
Leave “Parachute Science” Behind When Jumping Into Global Microbiome Research
The practice of “dropping in” on another country to take whatever is needed to further research, termed “parachute science,” can apply to any scientific field.
Ruminococcus gnavus, a Member of the Human Gut Microbiome Associated with Crohn’s Disease, Produces an Inflammatory Polysaccharide
By Katie E. Golden The microbial communities that live peacefully in our gut play a critical role in healthy metabolism and immunity. Evolving research on the microbiome has linked chronic disease, like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), to significant and characteristic disruptions in both the types and relative abundance of bacterial species that colonize the intestine. […]
Massively Parallel Screening of Synthetic Microbial Communities
By Dr. Katie E. Golden, MD Microbial communities are emerging as an important area of research interest given their potential as biotechnological tools, with applications ranging from pharmaceuticals to agricultural development. One of the biggest challenges to engineering bacteria with specific benefits, however, is the inherent difficulty in predicting a species’ interactions with other microbial […]
Getting to Know Hera Vlamakis, PhD
By Katie E. Golden, MD I recently had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Hera Vlamakis, who is the Senior Group Leader of the Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. With a background in microbiology, she is interested in how the bacteria that colonize the human intestine interact […]
Investigating Fecal Microbiota Transplantation as a Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a chronic gastrointestinal disorder that can be associated with daily, debilitating symptoms for patients. Studies suggest that it affects 7-16% of the United States population and 10-15% of the worldwide population, which is predominantly younger people and women (1). Patients suffer from a variety of symptoms that can have a […]
Interview with Laura Kiessling
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Laura Kiessling, who runs a lab at MIT and studies the carbohydrates that coat the surface of bacteria.