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School of the Biological Sciences

Illustration of the microbiome

 

The microbiome refers to the diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and fungi, living within and on our bodies, as well as around us in the environment. Cambridge researchers from across disciplinary boundaries are working together to understand and harness the power of these tiny organisms. Unlocking the secrets of the microbiome offers immense promise for improving human, animal, and planetary health.

 

 

 

Collaboration and Engagement

Microbiome research is inherently interdisciplinary, spanning the fields of microbiology, genetics, immunology, ecology, bioinformatics and medicine, among others. Through a series of engagement meetings, Cambridge researchers are collaborating to explore how microbiomes influence health, disease and ecological balances in the wider environment.

Through a series of 'lab meeting' style events, researchers from 15 Departments and Institutes across Cambridge have collaborated to share their research findings, as well as the challenges facing the field more widely, allowing space to develop solutions and deliver new insights and innovations in the microbiome research space. The breadth of research excellence at Cambridge, coupled with our collaborative and multidisciplinary scientific ethos, positions us at the heart of an exciting and dynamic research field that holds significant promise for human and planetary health.

Recent Highlights

#Profile

Microbiome: The Kingdom of the Gut

Scientists in the School are trying to get a grasp on the basic rules these bacteria play by, in the hope of understanding not only what’s going on in there, but how we might be able to use our microbiome to our advantage.

Read the article about the Microbiome

 

#Media

The Naked Scientists podcast - Identifying hidden gut bacteria

Alex Almeida featured in The Naked Scientists podcast discussing microbiome research.

The Naked Scientists podcast

 

 

#Research

Maternal microbiome promotes healthy development of the baby

A new study has found that a species of gut bacteria, known to have beneficial effects for health, changes the mother’s body during pregnancy and affects the structure of the placenta and nutrient transport - which impacts the growing baby.

Read the article about maternal microbiome

Academic Leads

Portrait of Alex Almeida

Alex Almeida

Veterinary Medicine

Kiran Patil

MRC Toxicology Unit

Contributing Researchers

Alex Almeida, Veterinary Medicine

Rahul Arora, Veterinary Medicine and Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry 

Kate Baker, Genetics

Tanmay Bharat, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology

Barbara Blacklaws, Veterinary Medicine 

Josie Bryant, Wellcome Sanger Institute

David Bulmer, Pharmacology

Marta Camacho, Clinical Neurosciences

Cinzia Cantacessi, Veterinary Medicine

Priscilla Day-Walsh, Physiology, Development and Neuroscience and Obstetrics and Gynaecology 

Paul Dupree, Biochemistry

Robert Finn, EMBL-EBI

Diana Fusco, Physics

Luis González, Veterinary Medicine and Wellcome Sanger Institute 

Rui Guan, MRC Toxicology Unit 

Ashray Gunjur, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Florian Hollfelder, Biochemistry

Mike Inouye, Public Health and Primary Care

Guy Jacobs, Archaeology

Trevor Lawley, Wellcome Sanger Institute

Valeria Lulla, Pathology

Archana Madhav, Medicine

Luis Miguel Martins, MRC Toxicology Unit

Reece McCoy, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Stephen Moss, Medicine

Miles Parkes, Medicine

Seoyoung Park, MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit

Julian Parkhill, Veterinary Medicine

Kiran Patil, MRC Toxicology Unit

Virginia Pedicord, Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease

Susannah Salter, Veterinary Medicine 

Ana Catarina da Silva, Veterinary Medicine

Sarah Spencer, MRC Toxicology Unit

Lucy Weinert, Veterinary Medicine 

Alexandra Wheeler-Enslin, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology

Eske Willerslev, Zoology

Qi Yin, Veterinary Medicine

Yizhou Yu, MRC Toxicology Unit

Work with us

We welcome opportunities to collaborate with industry partners, policy makers and academics. If you are interested in working with us, please contact Dr Abi Herrmann, Research Strategy Manager.