Overview
The overarching goal of our lab is to understand the interplay between human gut microbiota and host aging.
The human gut microbiota, consisting of trillions of microorganisms, encodes diverse metabolic pathways that impact host gastrointestinal health and systemic immunity. Microbiota diversity decreases with age, suggesting age-associated changes in gut microbial composition and host biological processes. Fecal microbiota transplantation from healthy mice improves healthspan and lifespan of progeroid mouse models, indicating mechanistic roles of gut bacterial community in modulating host aging.
However, the mechanisms by which gut bacteria and their metabolites impact host aging and physiology represent a new frontier that remains to be fully explored.
We will leverage metabolomics, microbiology, and molecular genetics to define the regulation of host physiology by the gut microbiota, at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. We aim to identify novel molecular mechanisms of gut microbe-host interactions and develop methods of intervention that would ameliorate age-associated health decline in the mammalian host.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Metabolomic Applications in Gut Microbiota-Host Interactions in Human Diseases.
Journal Article Gastroenterol Clin North Am · September 2024 The human gut microbiota, consisting of trillions of microorganisms, encodes diverse metabolic pathways that impact numerous aspects of host physiology. One key way in which gut bacteria interact with the host is through the production of small metabolites ... Full text Link to item CiteHigh-throughput identification of gut microbiome-dependent metabolites.
Journal Article Nat Protoc · July 2024 A significant hurdle that has limited progress in microbiome science has been identifying and studying the diverse set of metabolites produced by gut microbes. Gut microbial metabolism produces thousands of difficult-to-identify metabolites, which present ... Full text Link to item CiteImpact of a 7-day homogeneous diet on interpersonal variation in human gut microbiomes and metabolomes
Journal Article Cell Host & Microbe · June 2022 Full text CiteRecent Grants
Duke/UNC ADAR Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029Deciphering the chemical language of gut bacteria in host longevity
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation · 2023 - 2026Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2021 - 2026View All Grants