Microbiome

The goal of the microbiome program in the Xavier lab is to use informatics to understand the function of the human microbiome in health and disease. We are particularly interested in identifying microbial small molecules with immunomodulatory activities and to characterize their mechanisms of immune modulation.

Commensal gut microbiota are both ecologically and functionally perturbed during immune-mediated diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and type 1 diabetes (T1D). Using these diseases as models for understanding the human microbiome’s role in complex inflammatory disease, our recent studies have characterized the microbiome of treatment-naïve Crohn’s disease, and identified trends in the development of the human infant gut microbiome along with specific alterations that precede T1D onset and distinguish T1D progressors from nonprogressors.

Flagship programs

Phase 2 of the Human Microbiome Project: HMP2
The Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT: CMIT
CCFA Microbiome Initiative
JDRF/DIABIMMUNE

Recent progress

Gevers et al.,

Cell Host Microbe

Kostic et al.,

Cell Host Microbe

Wlodarska et al.,

Cell Host Microbe

Huttenhower et al.,

Immunity