Resolving the impact of low-fibre therapeutic diets on the human microbiome through integrated 'omics

The microbiome is one of the most exciting current areas of medical research with significant implications for human health and disease. We have partnered with Eagle Genomics [https://www.eaglegenomics.com/] to conduct a project that aims - through a combination of in vitro experiments and bioinformatics analysis of high dimensional sequence and metabolome data sets - to determine the precise role of the gut microbiome in Crohn's disease, an important, often incapacitating, inflammatory disease of the gut.

The exact aetiology of Crohn's disease is not yet understood but the microbiome is strongly implicated almost certainly through an interaction with the immune system. Dietary therapy is one of the most effective treatments for CD with the advantage of reduced side effects compared to drugs such as steroids. It also provides the opportunity, through studying changes as individual patients get better, to fully understand the causes of Crohn's. In addition, if we can understand the mechanism for the treatment action of the diets, then we can improve remission rates through microbiome modulation prior to or after treatment.