ISB News

A new study finds that a gut bacterium may contribute to memory loss in mice, highlighting growing evidence of connections between the microbiome and brain health. ISB’s Sean Gibbons discusses the study’s implications.

This profile details Lee Hood and his decades-long mission to transform medicine through systems biology and predictive health. Hood outlines how large-scale biological data and longitudinal studies could enable earlier detection of disease and more proactive healthcare.

ISB researchers are using advanced computer simulations of the gut microbiome to explore how probiotics interact with existing microbial communities. The work highlights how modeling approaches can help predict when probiotic strains are likely to thrive — and when they may fail to take hold.

A new SELF feature highlights research showing that bowel movement frequency — particularly one to two times per day — may be linked to overall health, including gut microbiome balance and toxin levels. ISB’s Sean Gibbons explains why this “Goldilocks zone” could signal optimal physiology.

Researchers in the Gibbons Lab used computer models of gut metabolism to predict which probiotic strains will successfully establish in an individual’s microbiome and how prebiotics influence beneficial molecule production, a step toward more personalized microbiome-based interventions.

A study led by researchers in ISB’s Gibbons Lab found that bowel movement frequency is linked to differences in gut microbiota and subtle changes in blood chemistry, suggesting that both infrequent and overly frequent defecation may relate to microbiome balance and toxin exposure risk.