Category: microbiome

Gut microbiota could play an important role in affecting how drugs are metabolized, leading to differentiated treatment effects in different patients

April 24, 2021

In clinical trials of drugs, it has been observed that the same drug is metabolized differently by different people, leading to different physiological and treatment effects on the patients. But, the underlying reason responsible for this clinical observation remains difficult to pinpoint given that multiple cross-interacting factors could affect drug metabolism and its effect on … More Gut microbiota could play an important role in affecting how drugs are metabolized, leading to differentiated treatment effects in different patients

High precision sequencing of 16S rRNA gene

April 27, 2019

Article in PeerJ, “A method for high precision sequencing of near full-length 16S rRNA genes on an Illumina MiSeq”   Summary of article: A tag sequencing method utilizing the Ilumina MiSeq platform was shown to be useful in sequencing, in high precision, near full length 16S rRNA gene, which is important for phylogenetic purposes, particularly … More High precision sequencing of 16S rRNA gene

Colourless agar for enhancing colour contrast between microbial colonies and agar

February 27, 2018

Small microbial colonies on agar could be hard to discern if the background colour of the agar is close to that of the colonies. This pose a significant problem for both manual and automated identification of microbial colonies. By separately sterilizing glucose and ammonium compounds, a recent study developed a colourless agar that enhanced the … More Colourless agar for enhancing colour contrast between microbial colonies and agar

Gut microbiome changes in sync with food intake pattern

October 8, 2017

Gut microbiome is the consortium of microorganisms that inhabit the mucous membrane lining the large and small intestines, and is responsible for many body functions such as digestion of food and regulation of overall intestinal health. A recent study reported in the New York Times (Link) reveals that the gut microbiome of a population in … More Gut microbiome changes in sync with food intake pattern

High precision sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, important for phylogenetic purposes

July 16, 2017

Article in PeerJ, “A method for high precision sequencing of near full-length 16S rRNA genes on an Illumina MiSeq”   Summary of article: A tag sequencing method utilizing the Ilumina MiSeq platform was shown to be useful in sequencing, in high precision, near full length 16S rRNA gene, which is important for phylogenetic purposes, particularly … More High precision sequencing of 16S rRNA gene, important for phylogenetic purposes

Collection of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract changes with the diet we eat

April 9, 2017

Microbes are all around us; in the air we breathe and surfaces we touch. But, we don’t fall sick from exposure to microbes. Why? Because our bodies possess an immune system capable of defending against harmful microbes when we are healthy. More importantly, many of the microbes we are exposed to are harmless, and maybe … More Collection of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract changes with the diet we eat