UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The One Health Microbiome Center (OHMC) at Penn State in the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences is one of the largest and most active organizations in the field and provides centralized resources to Penn State, the nation and the world. The center fosters a community and partner network for microbiome science and education with a mission to optimize, accelerate and disseminate long-lasting knowledge, resources and impact on the microbes that live in environments spanning humans, agriculture and the environment.
As a world-class destination for microbiome scholarship, the center’s story-driven year was exemplified by the top 10 highly visited Penn State News articles featuring groundbreaking research and resources. The most popular articles highlight the center’s cutting-edge research in the areas of nutritional sciences, the gut microbiome, biological anthropology, food and agriculture, and bioinformatics. These defining stories celebrate the success of new programs and resources, such as the center’s Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellowship. Additionally, the articles tell the narratives of successful grant recipients and showcase new findings in microbiome research.
As it reflects on a year packed with exciting discoveries and success stories, the center looks forward to its continued leadership for microbiome research and celebrating the accomplishments of its members in the years to come. To help build on this success, contact the center with suggestions, interests and opportunities for collaborative projects, investments and partnerships.
Top 10 most popular Microbiome Center-related news articles in 2023:
1. Broccoli Consumption protects gut lining and reduces disease in mice
Researchers in the Perdew Research Group discovered that broccoli, and likely other cruciferous vegetables such as Brussels sprouts and cabbage, contains molecules that inhibit the development of diseases in mice. These molecules bind to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR), which plays an active role in protecting the lining of the small intestine. The study showed that mice fed a diet consisting of 15% broccoli displayed activated AHR, while mice that were not fed broccoli lacked AHR activity and showed compromised gut health. These findings shed light on the mechanisms by which broccoli can benefit health in mice, likely translating to humans.
2. Herbs and spices tout taste and health as saturated fat and salt replacements
Scientists in the Cardiometabolic Nutrition Research Lab found that the replacement of saturated fats, sugar and salt in popular American foods with healthy herbs and spices maintained taste while improving nutritional quality. The study focused on 10 common American dishes, with blind taste tests showing that participants often equally enjoyed or even preferred the healthier versions over the original recipes. The findings suggest that widespread adoption of these alternative recipes could lead to significant reductions in saturated fat and salt intake, potentially benefiting public health.
3. Study of ancient British oral microbiomes reveals shift following Black Death
A groundbreaking study lead by Laura Weyrich links the Second Plague Pandemic, also known as the Black Death, to a shift in the composition of the human oral microbiome associated with chronic disease in modern humans. The research, published in Nature Microbiology, examined ancient dental calculus from 235 individuals across 27 archaeological sites in England and Scotland, spanning a period from 2200 B.C. to A.D. 1853. They outline two distinct oral microbiome communities: one dominated by Streptococcus, and the other by Methanobrevibacter, which is known to be extinct in modern humans. The study suggests that survivors of the plague were likely to adopt a diet high in carbohydrates and dairy due to higher socioeconomic status, marking a shift in the oral microbiota that is associated with chronic health issues.
4. Q&A: Searching for life where it shouldn’t exist
A team of Penn State scientists, led by microbiologist Jennifer Macalady, studies microbial biofilms in extreme environments to better understand the origins of life on Earth and its potential on other planets. Their recent expedition, featured in the October issue of National Geographic, involved a trip to Italy's Frasassi cave system to explore life in extremely hostile conditions. Macalady, along with doctoral student Dani Buchheister, aims to uncover the diversity of Earth's microbes, particularly in one of the least-explored habitats, to provide insights into the limits of life on Earth and beyond.
5. Penn State researchers examine how environmental chemicals affect gut microbiome
OHMC Executive Committee member Andrew Patterson received a $7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to investigate how environmental chemical exposure impacts the gut microbiome and exacerbates chronic diseases like obesity and inflammatory bowel disease. The grant is part of the RIVER program and supports innovative research in environmental health sciences. Patterson's team will focus on early-life exposure effects, the impact on beneficial gut bacteria, and the pathways through which environmental chemicals influence human health.
6. Essential mechanism for bacterial gut colonization discovered
A study co-authored by OHMC Executive Committee member Guy Townsend reveals that the physical process of "liquid-liquid phase separation" is crucial for the survival and colonization of the beneficial bacteria Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron in the guts of mice. This discovery provides insights into the mechanisms behind successful bacterial colonization in the intestine and opens possibilities for medical interventions to manipulate gut microbiota, potentially addressing diseases like Crohn's disease and colitis.
7. One Health Microbiome Center's 2023-24 Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellows
The OHMC at Penn State announced the recipients of its 2023-24 Interdisciplinary Innovation Fellowships program. Initiated in 2022, the program promotes collaborative training opportunities for OHMC members and allows recipients to engage in short-term experiences in the laboratories of other faculty members. The fellowships aim to enhance the creative capabilities of the community, foster collaboration among Microbiome Center members, and connect traditionally isolated units.
8. Animal microbiome researcher awarded $1.3M to study pathogenic threats
Erika Ganda, Executive Committee member and an assistant professor of food animal microbiomes, was awarded two grants totaling $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to lead teams in studies of pathogenic microbes that threaten human and animal health. Ganda aims to devise a cost-effective method to understand the impact of feed additives on antimicrobial resistance. An additional project will be launched to address the mitigation of Salmonella Dublin, an emerging pathogen in dairy farms in the northeastern United States.
9. Penn State doctoral student receives prestigious agriculture research fellowship
Theo Newbold, a doctoral candidate in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, was awarded the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Fellowship for 2023–2026. The fellowship focuses on professional development and career guidance for the next generation of food and agricultural scientists and prepares them for nontraditional career paths in government and industry. Newbold collaborates with Pasa Sustainable Agriculture to examine the impact of cover crops on soil health and disease in economically important crops such as corn and soy.
10. The Microbiome Center announces a free bioinformatics resource for Penn State
The One Health Microbiome Center, in collaboration with Executive Committee member David Koslicki, announced free access to the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) for all Penn State faculty, staff and students. KEGG is a human-curated database widely used in life sciences for predicting and understanding metabolic pathways in plants, animals and microbes. This comprehensive resource aids in big data analyses, including metagenomics, metabolomics, genomics and transcriptomics. Access to KEGG was made available to the Penn State community to support research and innovation in computational microbiome sciences.