Overview
Research
Our gut is colonised by estimated 37 trillion microbes, which affect our wellbeing in a very complex manner. As new DNA sequencing technologies advance, we have identified our gut microbes in terms of 'who they are'; however, 'what they do' is still largely unknown. My research focuses on investigating metabolic interactions between host and the gut microbiota and exploring functional roles of the gut microbiota in modulating host physiology. We use NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry (MS)-based metabolic profiling methods to elucidate host-microbial co-metabolism.
Research projects are available for PhD studies and Postdocs. If you are interested, please get in touch.
On-going Funding
MRC New Investigator “Impact of an Enterobacteriaceae-rich microbial community on gut health” (2017-2020); ERC Starting Grant “EnteroBariatric” (2017-2022); NIH research grant “Randomized Controlled Trial of Resistant Starch to Reduce Colon Cancer Risk in Alaska Native People” (2016-2019); Elsie Widdowson Fellowship (2017-2018).
Collaborators
Prof Rajiv Jalan, YAQRIT, UCL, Carbon particle treatment for obesity, 2015
Dr. Filipe Cabreiro, UCL, host-microbial interactions using a C. elegans model, 2015
Dr. Kevin Murphy, Imperial College London, Obesity and high protein diet, 2015
Professor Maggie DallmanDr. Laurence Bugeon, Natural Sciences, Imperial College London, Metabolic profiling of Zebra fish fed high fat diet, 2015
Dr. Edson de Souza Bento, Instituto de Química e Biotecnologia, metabolic profiling of sugar cane metabolism in response to various stress factors, 2012 - 2016
Prof. Aiping Lu, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010
Prof. Liping Zhao, Shanghai JiaoTong University, Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2010
Prof. Tannaz J. Birdi, The Foundation for Medical Research, Metabonomics in plant extracts, e.g. Guava leaves, 2009
Dr. Russell Stothard, Natural History Museum, Metabonomics in Parasitology, 2008
Dr. Julian Marchesi, Cardiff University, Functional metagenomics, 2007
Prof. Juerg UtzingerProf. Jennifer Keiser, Swiss Tropical Institute, Metabonomics in Parasitology, 2005
Dr. Ubon Cha'on, Khon Kaen University, Metabolic impact of sodium monoglutamate
Dr. Britta Lundstrom-Stadelmann, University of Bern, Switzerland, Metabolomics of Echinococcus multilcularis using both in vivo and in vitro models
Prof Steve O'Keefe, University of Pittsburgh, diet and colon cancer risk
Dr. Claudio Avignone-Rossa, University of Surrey, Biofuel
Dr. Marco Ventura, University of Parma, Probiotics
Prof. Laurence Millon, Laboratoire de Parasitologie, CHU Besançon, Echinostoma;
Profs. Yulan Wang and Huiru Tang, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics
Dr Florian Seyfried, University of Wurzburg, Bariatric surgery
Dr. Tannaz Birdi, Foundation for Medical Research, Guava leave extracts and functional compounds
Guest Lectures
Metabolic profiling in parasitic infection, University of Bern, Switzerland, 2017
What can metabolic profiling and the exposome tell us about chemical risks?, Keynote talk at the 10th International Symposium on Biological Monitoring, Italy, 2017
Metabolic Surgery, Keynote talk at the Metabolomics Conference 2017, Australia, 2017
Metabolic profiling, University College London, London, 2017
Application of NMR spectroscopic analysis in bariatric surgery, 58th ENC conference, California, USA, 2017
Metabolic profiling in Biomedical Research, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, 2016
Workshop talk, “Impact of microbes on C. elegans life traits”, UK, University College London, London, 2016
Metabolic profiling of host-microbial interactions, Xijing Hospital, Xi'An, China, 2015
Clinical metabonomics, Mayo Clinic, USA, 2015
Surgical metabonomics, International Symposium on Metabonomics in Translational Medicine, Shanghai, China, China, 2014
Application of Metabonomics, Institute of Biotechnology, Maceio, Brazil, Brazil, 2014
Metabolomics-based targets: helping parasitic disease management?, the International Symposium ‘Innovation for the Management of Echinococcosis’, France, 2014
Metabonomics in Clinical Research, The 8th International Conference on Genomics, Shenzhen, ChinaWuhan, China, 2013
Metabonomics in biomedical research, the 8th International Conference on Genomics (ICG), BGI, China, China, 2013
Diet, Microbiota, Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 2013
Application of Metabonomics in Clinical Research, University Würzburg Medical School, Würzburg, Germany, 2013
Application of metabonomics and functional microbiomics to the investigation of host-gut microbial interactions, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK, 2012
Gut Microbial-Host Metabolic Crosstalk in Health and Disease, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 2011
Gut Microbial-Host Metabolic Axis in Human Health and Disease, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Wuhan, China, 2011
Metabolomics in Traditional Herbal Medicine, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China, 2011
Can metabolic profiling strategy be a diagnostic tool?, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Wuhan, China, 2009
Research Staff
Glymenaki,M
Liu,Z
Research Student Supervision
Abdul,H, Effects of acute and chronic monosodium glutamate intakes as a food additive on urinary metabolic changes
Amis,S, The anti-malarial and anti-microbial assessment of medicinal plant extracts
Auyeung,V, Metabolic Profiling of Children with Crohn’s Disease and their Responses to Enteral Nutrition Therapy
Barker,G, Metabolic behaviour of the gut bacterial isolated from obese and weight loss surgical patients
Barker,G, PhD - Nutritional intervention for colorectal cancer
Chen,Q, Metabolic phenotyping of colonic organoids
Coales,I, The role of gut microbiota in bariatric surgery
Cong,H, PhD - Effects of Anaesthetics on Cancer Metastatic Gene, Protein and Metabolic Profiling
Eustace,M, Metabolic profiling of IBD patients
Gan,C, Metabolic profiling of lung cells
Gratton,J, Protocol Development for Faecal Sample Collection from Patients
Lin,J, Metabolic Behaviour of Gut Bacteria under Various Environmental Conditions
Malik,D, Quality control of a traditional Chinese medicine
Mohanaruban,A, PhD - EndoBarrier trial and metabolic profiling
Monteil,D, The biochemical component analysis of medicinal plant extracts
Phetcharaburanin,P, PhD - Metabolic and microbial alterations in bariatric surgery
Spurr,S, The impact of inhalational anaesthetics on the neurochemical profile in an in vitro model of Alzheimer’s disease
Vaitkute,G, Investigating the effects of the microbiota on the host’s lifespan and lipidome post-bariatric surgery using C.elegans as a model organism
Vonhof,E, PhD - Application of 1H HR MAS NMR Spectroscopy in investigating host-microbial interaction
Wu,Z, Weight loss surgery changes intestinal metabolism
Xia,B, Metabolic effects of antibiotics in mice
Yang,B, Investigation of intestinal tissue metabolism in Zucker diabetic rats after Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery
zhang,A, Investigating the Effect of A High Protein Diet on Metabonomics