Christina Szalinski More than half the cells in the human body are not human — they’re microbes. Each microbe makes unique molecules, or metabolites, and studying them is crucial for understanding the microbiome’s role in health and disease. But with so many microbes and metabolites floating around — literally trillions — how can you tell...
Tag: <span>microbes</span>
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New Technology Unscrambles the Chatter of Microbes
As part of a large collaboration with scientists around the world, researchers from the University of California San Diego have developed a new search tool to help researchers better understand the metabolism of microorganisms.Microbes are key players in virtually all biological and environmental systems, yet limitations in current techniques used to study microbial metabolism make...
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Experimental Probiotic Uses Microbes to Treat Multiple Sclerosis in Mice
By DAVID NIELD An illustration of bacteria. (Artur Plawgo/Science Photo Library) Our immune system is made up of multiple smart defenses built into our bodies – but if those defenses go haywire, it can lead to diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists may have found a new way to control potentially dangerous autoimmune responses. A team from...
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Researchers show that immunoglobulin A fine-tunes the body’s interactions with microbes
by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia IgG antibodies bind to overlapping communities of commensal gut microbes. Credit: Michael Silverman Immunoglobulin A (IgA) deficiency is the most common primary immune deficiency worldwide, but its presentation has puzzled physicians and researchers. Some with the disorder present with symptoms like recurrent infections, autoimmune disease, or allergies, whereas others have no symptoms...
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Scientists track evolution of microbes on the skin’s surface
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY CAMBRIDGE, MA — Human skin is home to millions of microbes. One of these microbes, Staphylococcus aureus, is an opportunistic pathogen that can invade patches of skin affected by eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis. In a new study, researchers at MIT and other institutions have discovered that this microbe can rapidly...
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Study finds diverse differences in microbes in breast tumors from women of different races
JOHNS HOPKINS MEDICINE The breast tumors of Asian, Black and white women have very different cellular, microbial and genomic features that could potentially be used to personalize care or predict disease progression, according to new research by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Potential race-specific microbial biomarkers of breast cancer identified by the researchers...
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New method detects gut microbes that activate immune cells
by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed a method to help identify which human gut microbes are most likely to contribute to a slew of inflammatory diseases like obesity, liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease, cancer and some neurological diseases. The technique, described in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine, uses a protein...
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Long-Reads and Powerful Algorithms Identify “Invisible” Microbes
New technique developed by international research team could provide tremendous insights into health and disease through the use of powerful algorithms. Microbes are everywhere – in our guts, on our skin, permeating the environments around us. Studying these microbial communities has delivered tremendous insights into disease and good health, but identifying all the distinct species in...
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Synthetic biology enables microbes to build muscle
IMAGE: RESEARCHERS AT THE MCKELVEY SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING AT WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS HAVE DEVELOPED A SYNTHETIC CHEMISTRY APPROACH TO POLYMERIZE PROTEINS INSIDE OF ENGINEERED MICROBES. THIS ENABLED THE MICROBES TO PRODUCE THE HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT MUSCLE PROTEIN, TITIN, WHICH WAS THEN SPUN INTO FIBERS. IN THE FUTURE, SUCH MATERIAL COULD BE USED FOR...
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Microbes have potential to reverse aging in the brain
by University College Cork Researchers at APC Microbiome in UCC have discovered the potential to reverse aging in the brain – Pictured are Professor John Cryan, Dr. Marcus Boehme, Katherine Guzzetta, Dr. Thomaz Bastiaanssen. The UCC researchers at APC Microbiome Ireland, a world-leading SFI Research Centre, have found that aging-associated changes in the immune system of...