Skip to main content

Illinois IGB

Microbiome

Engineered yeast used to influence gut microbiome of mice

August 1, 2023

Scientists are becoming increasingly aware of how the human microbiome, or the collection of microbes the live on and inside of us, has a major connection to health and human physiology. Microbial engineering, which changes the structure of the microbiome through methods such as probiotics, antibiotics, and microbe transplants, has been found to be a useful strategy for improving human health, but the mechanisms underlying this improvement are still unclear and difficult to test.


August 1, 2023


Related Articles

New study investigates the microbiomes of dogs across the world

June 21, 2022

Although the microbiome—the collection of all microbes that live in the body—in the fecal matter of dogs has been investigated extensively, those studies have mostly been limited to domesticated dogs. In a new study, researchers have sampled the fecal microbiomes across diverse geographical populations to better understand what they look like around the world.


June 21, 2022


Related Articles

Predicting microbial interactions in the human gut

March 1, 2021

The human gut consists of a complex community of microbes that consume and secrete hundreds of small molecules—a phenomenon called cross-feeding. However, it is challenging to study these processes experimentally. A new study, published in Nature Communications, uses models to predict cross-feeding interactions between microbial species in the gut. Predictions from such computational methods could eventually help doctors get a more complete understanding of gut health.


March 1, 2021


Related Articles

Environmental contaminants alter gut microbiome, health

May 22, 2020

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. In a new paper, scientists from Illinois review the research linking dozens of environmental chemicals to changes in the gut microbiome and associated health challenges.

The review is published in the journal Toxicological Sciences.


May 22, 2020


Related Articles

Mathematical models provide snapshot of human gut microbial community

December 9, 2019

Microbial communities can be found everywhere – from lakes to the soil on the ground, they are omnipresent yet invisible to the naked eye. Within those environments there exist dynamic communities which fluctuate in response to environmental changes. One such example is the human gut microbiome, which is comprised of microbes that influence the overall landscape of the gut.


December 9, 2019


Related Articles

Classifying microbes differently leads to discovery  

October 12, 2018

Changing the way microbes are classified can reveal similarities among mammals’ gut microbiomes, according to a new study.

The study, published in mBio, proposed an alternative method for classifying microbes that provides insight into human and environmental health.  

James O’Dwyer, an associate professor of plant biology and member of the IGB's Biocomplexity research theme, is a co-author of the study, which was funded by the NSF.


October 12, 2018


Related Articles

Walnuts impact gut microbiome and improve health

May 4, 2018

Diets rich in nuts, such as walnuts, have been shown to play a role in heart health and in reducing colorectal cancer. According to a new study from the University of Illinois, the way walnuts impact the gut microbiome—the collection of trillions of microbes or bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract—may be behind some of those health benefits.


May 4, 2018


Related Articles

Microbiome Metabolic Engineering - New Theme at IGB

June 14, 2016

The Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology has formed a new research theme, Microbiome Metabolic Engineering (MME). Led by microbiologist and animal scientist Isaac Cann, the theme will focus on one of the grand challenges in biology today–how humans interact with their microbiomes and how these interactions affect human health and nutrition.


June 14, 2016


Related Articles

Subscribe to Microbiome