Microbiome News and Research

Latest Microbiome News and Research

Probiotics are not recommended for most digestive conditions

It is estimated that more than 3.9 million American adults have taken some form of probiotics, with many patients looking to probiotics to improve their gastrointestinal health.

9 Jun 2020

Researchers receive $1.5 million grant to study impact of cannabis use on Indigenous oral health

A multidisciplinary team from the University of Toronto, with experts from the Faculty of Dentistry and the Waakebiness-Bryce Institute for Indigenous Health at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health have been awarded a five year, $1.5 million grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to study the impact of cannabis use on the oral health of Indigenous populations.

5 Jun 2020

New insights into how parenteral oil emulsions prevent liver disease in preterm babies

Infants born prematurely may require parenteral or intravenous nutrition to provide the necessary nourishment, as their digestive system is immature and cannot digest nutrients.

4 Jun 2020

Computational models predict known biomarkers of inherited metabolic diseases

We are all unique. Our health is determined by our inherent genetic differences combined with our lifestyles and the environments in which we live.

4 Jun 2020

Researchers find link between stroke-related brain blood vessel abnormality and gut bacteria

In a nationwide study, NIH funded researchers found that the presence of abnormal bundles of brittle blood vessels in the brain or spinal cord, called cavernous angiomas (CA), are linked to the composition of a person's gut bacteria.

4 Jun 2020

Diet and gut microbiome affect outcomes of chemotherapy

What we eat can affect the outcome of chemotherapy – and likely many other medical treatments – because of ripple effects that begin in our gut, new research from the University of Virginia suggests.

4 Jun 2020

Study maps genes essential for metabolic function of two common bacteria

A study in Cell Reports maps genes essential for the metabolic function of M. agalactiae and M. pneumoniae, two common bacteria that infect livestock and humans respectively.

2 Jun 2020

Bacteria lurking in cancer cells may affect treatment

Cancer cells are comfy havens for bacteria. That conclusion arises from a rigorous study of over 1,000 tumor samples of different human cancers.

2 Jun 2020

NAU scientist collaborating on vault-based vaccine to prevent and treat COVID-19

C. Todd French, assistant professor of biology and leader of Northern Arizona University's new COVID-19 Testing Service Center, is working with scientists at Vault Pharma, an emerging biotechnology company, to test candidate vaccines against the novel coronavirus.

1 Jun 2020

Study summarizes new evidence on using probiotics for specific health conditions

Probiotic supplements are widely available and are sometimes promoted as a general way to support gut microbiome and promote health.

1 Jun 2020

Disordered gut microbiomes are found in patients with hemorrhagic brain disease

A new study shows that people with a rare genetic disease that causes bleeding in the brain have gut microbiomes distinct from those without the disease.

27 May 2020

'Good' bacteria have a niche in our noses, study suggests

Beneficial strains of bacteria residing in our guts, genital tracts, and skin have been shown to play a role in human health, and now, researchers publishing May 26 in the journal Cell Reports suggest that some of these "good" bacteria also have a niche in our noses.

26 May 2020

Research opens new horizons for studies on potentially health promoting foods

Fermented foods can be a primary source of potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the human gut, as is shown in a new international study published in Nature Communications.

25 May 2020

New tools for analyzing microbial communities

The June 2020 issue of Journal of Dental Research brings together a collection of the latest research on the oral microbiome.

22 May 2020

Environmental chemicals linked to changes in the gut microbiome and health

The microbes that inhabit our bodies are influenced by what we eat, drink, breathe and absorb through our skin, and most of us are chronically exposed to natural and human-made environmental contaminants.

21 May 2020

Novel tool helps translate complex communication between microbes and the body

A new tool developed by scientists at the Quadram Institute and Earlham Institute is helping to translate the complex communication between the microbiome and the body.

21 May 2020

Neuroscientists trace brain-to-gut pathways

Neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh Brain Institute have traced neural pathways that connect the brain to the stomach, providing a biological mechanism to explain how stress can foster ulcer development.

18 May 2020

Study aims to identify markers that predict how COVID-19 affects patients

COVID-19 is the UK's largest public health crisis since World War II. There is an urgent need to identify why some patients with the virus do very well whereas others need to be admitted to intensive care and may die from the disease.

18 May 2020

Interdisciplinary team to develop a new physics-based technology for COVID-19 detection

One of the most challenging aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the lack of testing needed to detect and trace infections--and without adequate testing, government officials do not have the data they need to make the best possible decisions in the interest of public health.

15 May 2020

Study: Gut microbiomes of astronauts become more diverse in space rather than less

We all carry around our own microbiome, a world of microorganisms that live on our skin and in our bodies, playing important roles in maintaining health as we interact with the rest of the world.

15 May 2020