Human Microbiome

The human microbiome consists of microorganisms that reside on every accessible part of the body, from skin to the human gut. Just as many microbial cells inhabit the human body as human cells, and the genetic material carried by the human microbiome is at least ten times greater than that encoded in human DNA.

Microbial cells have a vast influence on human health and fitness through their wide range of metabolic functions. And yet most of the microbiome’s functions still remain a mystery.

PNNL researchers seek to define the key roles of specific members of the human microbiome and how they contribute to health. A new germ-free animal facility at PNNL enables researchers to study the mechanisms underlying specific host-microbiome interactions using microbe-free animal models.

Our researchers study connections between the gut microbiome and major organ systems, such as the brain, and chronic diseases like inflammatory bowel disease. We examine how diet, exercise, and sleep influence the gut microbiome and human health. Our researchers follow how gut microbes transform specific drugs and other bio-active molecules, and study the functions of specific microbiomes in humans and animals.

To identify connections between microbes and human health, PNNL researchers trace function through molecular communication lines. But because those networks are so intertwined, finding clear connections requires considering everything from interactions between specific microbes in a microbiome, host physiology and genetics, microbe-host interactions, and environmental factors, such as diet.

We use unique expertise and capabilities in multi-omics and chemical biology to track microbial function from a molecular perspective. Large-scale identification of metabolites and proteins enables our researchers to quickly find tiny changes that can lead to big effects on health.

Our researchers are developing next generation, standards-free metabolomics techniques to quickly identify molecules produced by the human microbiome that have unknown structures. Then we use those molecular metabolites to design chemical probes that target proteins known to break down antibiotics, for example. With these probes, our researchers can track how microbes function in a community.

A new germ-free animal facility at PNNL enables researchers to study the mechanisms underlying specific host-microbiome interactions using microbe-free animal models.

Click to view our team of experts who focus on microbiome research in the Biology Division and the Environmental Molecular Sciences Division.