Shaping gut bacteria with dietary sugars and natural gut compounds
Leveraging glycan-metabolite interactions to shape structure and function of the gut microbiome
This work looks at how certain dietary sugars and natural gut chemicals change gut bacteria to help people at risk for gut-related diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11322161 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
As a patient, I would hear that researchers are studying how gut bacteria respond when fed different sugars we eat and exposed to common gut molecules. They focus on Bacteroides strains and how the gut compound butyrate can either harm or protect different strains depending on the sugar available. The team grows bacterial strains in the lab with varied glycans and metabolites to see which combinations favor helpful microbes or suppress potentially harmful ones. The long-term aim is to identify diet-based or microbe-targeting strategies that could steer the gut community toward better health.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would be people with gut-related conditions or those willing to provide stool samples for microbiome analysis, including people at higher risk for colon disease.
Not a fit: People seeking an immediate clinical treatment may not benefit directly because the project primarily uses lab studies to understand mechanisms rather than offering therapies now.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to specific dietary sugars or prebiotic approaches that promote beneficial gut bacteria and reduce harmful strains linked to inflammation and colon cancer.
How similar studies have performed: Prior work shows diet and metabolites can shift the microbiome and affect health, but the glycan-dependent, strain-specific control described here is a newer and less-tested idea.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rakoff-Nahoum, Seth — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Rakoff-Nahoum, Seth
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.