MiMIC- Microbial metabolites in IBD & CDI

PIs: Meenakshi Bewtra, MD, PhD, MPH
Collaboration with ZACKULAR LAB​
For potential eligibility and interested patients, ​contact: [email protected]
The human gastrointestinal tract is home to a rich collection of microorganisms that has been termed the gut microbiota. This community of bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses is essential for our health and provides us nutrients, aids in digestion, primes our immune system, and confers colonization resistance to invading pathogens. In addition to keeping us healthy, the gut microbiota has also been associated with numerous diseases including obesity, Inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer. The field of microbiome research has made significant strides over the past decade, primarily powered by the rapid advancement of next generation sequencing technologies, but our understanding of mechanisms that drive microbiota-associated diseases remains limited.
Our goal is to understand how interactions between the host, gut microbiota, and pathogenic microbes impact human health and disease. At the center of our research is the important nosocomial pathogen, Clostridium difficile. Over the past decade, incidence, severity, and costs associated with C. difficile infection (CDI) have increased dramatically. The primary risk factor for CDI is antibiotic treatment, which disrupts the resident gut microbiota and leads to susceptibility to C. difficile. Interestingly, non-antibiotic associated CDI cases are on the rise, suggesting that unexplored host, environmental, and microbiota factors likely influence CDI.  We are interested in identifying these environmental factors and defining underlying mechanisms of microbiota disruption and modulation of disease. ​
Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria

• Individuals aged 18 years or older, comprising adult patients
​• Afflicted with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) encompassing Crohn's Disease (CD), Ulcerative Colitis (UC), or IBD unspecified (previously known as indeterminate colitis)
• Proficiency in spoken and written English is required for participants.
​•Inability to provide informed consent
•Patients presenting for a one time consultation
•Students or employees who are directly supervised by one of the investigators