ISB News

Bugs vs. Drugs: How Our Microbiomes Can Explain Our Response to Statins

Bugs vs. drugs – In this video, Dr. Sean Gibbons explains how our unique gut microbiomes shape our personalized responses to statins.

Statins are one of the most prescribed drugs in the developed world and have proven to be effective in lowering cholesterol levels and decreasing the risks of heart attack and stroke. However, like antibiotics, there is a flip side to their use. Side effects of statin use, for example, include an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

ISB Assistant Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons talked about the science behind statins in our most recent Research Roundtable virtual presentation. His talk was titled “Bugs vs. Drugs – How Our Unique Gut Microbiomes Shape Our Personalized Responses to Statins.”

Gibbons discussed recent research out of ISB and published in the journal Med showing that different patient responses to statins can be explained by the variation in the human microbiome. These findings suggest that microbiome monitoring could be used to help optimize personalized statin treatments.

Following his presentation, Gibbons answered a number of audience questions about the implications of his work. You can watch his Research Roundtable talk here or by playing the video above.

You can learn more about the research published in Med by watching our video featuring Gibbons and Dr. Tomasz Wilmanski, first author of the paper, here, or by playing the video below.

Research Roundtables

ISB hosts 10 or more Research Roundtable conversations each year to feature our leading scientists discussing their latest research. These free virtual events are designed for non-scientists, and are open to anyone interested in the topics.

Past Research Roundtable topics include long COVID, the impact of COVID-19 on pregnancy, Alzheimer’s Disease, finding drugs to treat Tuberculosis, identifying markers for cancer years before diagnosis, and many more.

You can explore all past Research Roundtable talks and our other events here.

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