Professor Victoria Song's research is based on Professor Emily Balskus' research. A link to her lab website is in this in-line comment.
Below, I will briefly describe the science that is talked about in the book. Links to these papers are in their individual in-line comments.
Yeju's research is based on the published paper, "A small molecule inhibitor prevents gut bacterial genotoxin production." It is exactly as described in the story: an inhibitor is found to stop colibactin from being made in the gut, and the inhibitor is later further used in a community of soil bacteria to show its multipurpose function.
Gabby's research is based on the published paper, "Cysteine dependence of Lactobacillus iners is a potential therapeutic target for vaginal microbiota modulation." Lactobacillus iners is a bacteria found to be linked to a condition, bacterial vaginosis (BV), that can cause serious infections and preterm birth. This paper describes a potential method that can reduce Lactobacillus iners growth.
Harvey's research is based on the published paper, "Discovery and inhibition of an interspecies gut bacterial pathway for Levodopa metabolism." Levodopa is a drug for Parkinson's disease, and its treatment efficacy has always been extremely variable. This paper describes the discovery of a group of gut bacteria that can turn the drug ineffective in the gut.
Yuna's research is based on the published paper, "Bariatric surgery reveals a gut-restricted TGR5 agonist with anti-diabetic effects." Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and previous studies have found that it can change the levels of hormones in the body and bile acids in the gut. This paper looks into the specific bile acids in the gut and found a particular bile acid that can exert hormonal changes in the body.
Have any questions? Feel free to ask me more!
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Nobody Like You
RomanceYeju Hwarng no longer believes in love. After breaking up with her long-term girlfriend and watching her parents divorce over the summer, all her passion disappeared, including her passion for science that got her into her microbiology Ph.D. program...
