The Microbiome Project News and Research

RSS

The human microbiome refers to the entire community of microorganisms that live on or in the human body. More specifically, it refers to all of the genes in these microbes, which include bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and viruses.

Unhealthy microbiome shifts can lead to weight gain, obesity

The link between the gut microbiome and obesity seems clear, but just how changes to gut bacteria can cause weight gain is not.

14 Dec 2015

Discovery may provide reliable 'clock' for forensic scientists

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and University of Colorado Boulder have discovered that unique and changing microbial communities present during decomposition of human cadavers may provide a reliable "clock" for forensic scientists. The method could be used to estimate time of death in different seasons, as well determine the original location of moved corpses and help locate buried corpses.

11 Dec 2015

Bacteriophage therapy: an alternative to antibiotics? An interview Professor Clokie

A phage is a virus that infects a bacterium. People often get very confused about what the difference is between a virus and a bacterium. A virus, like a bacterium, is also a microorganism, but unlike bacteria, it needs to have a host to be able to replicate and propagate.

2 Dec 2015

Synthetic Biologics announces positive results from first SYN-004 Phase 2a study for prevention of CDI, AAD

Synthetic Biologics, Inc.), a clinical stage company focused on developing therapeutics to protect the gut microbiome while targeting pathogen specific diseases, announced positive topline results from the first Phase 2a study of SYN-004, the Company's candidate designed to protect the gut microbiome from the unintended effects of certain commonly used intravenous (IV) beta-lactam antibiotics for the prevention C. difficile infection (CDI) and antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD).

1 Dec 2015

Scientists can accurately measure microbial growth rates inside gastrointestinal tracts

For the first time, scientists can accurately measure population growth rates of the microbes that live inside mammalian gastrointestinal tracts, according to a new method reported in Nature Communications by a team at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Harvard Medical School.

1 Dec 2015

U of T researchers discover mysterious fungus that defends against neighbouring bacteria

Researchers at the University of Toronto examined fungi in the mucus of patients with cystic fibrosis and discovered how one particularly cunning fungal species has evolved to defend itself against neighbouring bacteria.

21 Nov 2015

Innovative microbiome technology may help fight certain infections

Stony Brook University and Ortek Therapeutics, Inc. announced today that two patent applications were filed in the United States and internationally for nutrient based compositions utilizing an innovative microbiome technology that may help combat certain infections.

20 Nov 2015

Research may offer new treatments for patients suffering from severe diarrhea

Everyone has suffered from it. It's ranged from mild to severe. It's a condition that's most-often described in a whisper.

11 Nov 2015

First comprehensive genomic and biologic study of top skin disease-causing microbes

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from A*STAR's Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS), Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), and Bioinformatics Institute (BII), and P&G, have completed the first comprehensive genomic and biologic study of all species of Malassezia, one of the top skin disease-causing microbes.

9 Nov 2015

Specific gut bacteria can improve cancer immunotherapy, show studies

By introducing a particular strain of bacteria into the digestive tracts of mice with melanoma, researchers at the University of Chicago were able to boost the ability of the animal's immune systems to attack tumor cells. T

6 Nov 2015

Multicenter trial compares popular treatments for menopause-related vaginal symptoms

Hot flashes. Night sweats. These are the most common - or at least the most commonly talked about - symptoms of menopause. But one reality of The Change for many women is less discussed yet no less important: problems with vaginal health and sexual function.

6 Nov 2015

Microbiome researcher Martin J. Blaser earns GUMC's Cura Personalis Award

Georgetown University Medical Center will bestow its highest honor, the Cura Personalis Award, upon Martin J. Blaser, MD, a world-renowned microbiome researcher and clinician.

3 Nov 2015

Diet missing soluble fiber promotes inflammation in the intestines, leading to weight gain

Eating too much high-fat, high-calorie food is considered the primary cause of obesity and obesity-related disease, including diabetes. While the excess calories consumed are a direct cause of the fat accumulation, scientists suspect that low-grade inflammation due to an altered gut microbiome may also be involved.

30 Oct 2015

Scientists call for coordinated effort to drive cutting edge microbiome research

A consortium of 48 scientists from 50 institutions in the United States - including Pamela Silver, Ph.D., a Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University - are calling for a Unified Microbiome Initiative that would span national cross-institutional and cross-governmental agency support.

29 Oct 2015

Study shows how dietary fatty acids affect development and progression of multiple sclerosis

Dietary fatty acids affect the development and progression of autoimmune chronic-inflammatory diseases such as multiple sclerosis. In a collaborative study between the Departments of Neurology at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum (St. Josef-Hospital) and the Friedrich Alexander Universtiy Erlangen, researchers now found that long-chain fatty acids promote the development and propagation of CNS reactive immune cells in the intestinal wall. On the contrary, short-chain fatty acids promote the development and propagation of regulatory cells in the immune system.

22 Oct 2015

Study finds link between microbial signatures and triple negative breast cancer

Cancer is a result of normal cellular functions going wildly awry on a genetic level. That fact has been known for some time, but increasing evidence is showing that the human microbiome, the diverse population of microorganisms within every person, may play a key role in either setting the stage for cancer or even directly causing some forms of it.

16 Oct 2015

Different Crohn's disease treatments affect children's gut microbes in distinct ways

Different treatments for Crohn's disease in children affects their gut mi-crobes in distinct ways, which has implications for future development of microbial-targeted therapies for these patients, according to a study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

15 Oct 2015

Rebiotix's RBX2660 receives FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation for treatment of recurrent C diff infection

Rebiotix Inc. today announced that U.S. Food and Drug Administration has designated its lead Microbiota Restoration Therapy (MRT) RBX2660 as a Breakthrough Therapy for the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile (C diff) infection, a challenging to treat gastrointestinal (GI) infection that causes 29,000 deaths in the U.S. annually.

12 Oct 2015

Gut microbiome can play significant role in the body's response to gluten

Investigators interested in celiac disease, a chronic gastrointestinal disorder caused by an immunologic response to the ingestion of gluten, have wondered why only 2% to 5% of genetically susceptible individuals develop the disease.

8 Oct 2015

UCSD researchers develop new microbiome analysis platform

The human microbiome -- the total collection of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms living in and on your body -- has been linked to a variety of health and disease states, including obesity, allergies, asthma, and a rapidly growing list of other conditions. But as researchers try to sort out the complex relationship between microbial populations and human health and use that information to diagnose or treat disease, they are generating a deluge of microbial sequence data that first needs to be organized and analyzed.