{"id":70298,"date":"2025-11-10T13:11:40","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T02:11:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/?post_type=hdsn_news_post&p=70298"},"modified":"2025-12-01T13:10:02","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T02:10:02","slug":"uncovering-a-whole-new-world-inside-the-gut","status":"publish","type":"hdsn_news_post","link":"https:\/\/hudson.org.au\/news\/uncovering-a-whole-new-world-inside-the-gut\/","title":{"rendered":"Uncovering a whole new world inside the gut"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Microbiome medicine has been described as having the potential to revolutionise healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to a team from Hudson Institute and Monash University, that revolution just came a whole lot closer, promising a new range of possibilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hudson Institute\u2019s own Associate Professor Sam Forster<\/a> working with Professor Jeremy J. Barr<\/a> from Monash University\u2019s School of Biological Sciences and PhD student Dr Sofia Dahlman<\/a>, who published a ground-breaking study in the journal Nature<\/em><\/a>, identifying hundreds of previously unknown gut viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These viruses, known as bacteriophages, infect the bacteria in the gut. They offer the potential to reshape the gut microbiome, influencing gut health and the progression of various disease states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Waking dormant viruses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

They found that compounds produced in human gut cells can wake up dormant viruses inside gut bacteria. This could have major implications for gut diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), where inflammation and cell death are common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cWe\u2019ve known that the gut is full of viruses, but until now, we didn\u2019t have the tools and experimental approaches to study them in the lab,\u201d explained Dr Dahlman<\/a>, \u201c\u2026but our findings suggest that the human host isn\u2019t just a passive environment, it\u2019s actively influencing viral behaviour.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research represents over eight years of collaborative work, and A\/Prof Forster believes it will have significant implications for health translation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to grow these viruses allows us to understand their function and provides the opportunity to develop microbiome therapeutics for diseases from inflammatory bowel disease<\/a> to cancers<\/a>. This technology will provide the opportunity for targeted removal of detrimental species from the microbiome using phage.\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Decoding mysteries of the human gut<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

But this work \u2013 described as \u201ca major step forward in decoding the viral dark matter of the human gut\u201d \u2013 is far from the only breakthrough to come from the Forster lab in the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of a joint project between A\/Prof Forster, PhD Student Dr Caitlin Welsh and Professor Chris Greening from Monash University’s Biomedicine Discovery Institute, they have revealed for the first time how hydrogen is made and used in the human gut \u2013 including the positive role it plays in supporting gut health.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Dr
Dr Caitlin Welsh <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Their work, published in Nature <\/em><\/a>Microbiology<\/em><\/a>, analysed how microbes control hydrogen levels in the gut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hudson Institute post-doctoral researcher, Dr Caitlin Welsh<\/a> said the results revealed hydrogen had an even bigger role in gut function than previously thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMost people release about a litre of gas per day and half of that is hydrogen. But hydrogen is more than just the gas behind flatulence \u2013 it\u2019s a hidden driver of gut health,\u201d Dr Welsh said. \u201cOur study shows hydrogen shapes the gut microbiome in surprising and varied ways. It helps some beneficial bacteria thrive in the gut and keeps digestion going.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This research highlights the need to expand fundamental knowledge of how our gut works so it can be used to design new treatments for gastrointestinal issues.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Support<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

In this issue of Hudson News Summer 2025<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n
\n \n \n
\n <\/div>\n
\n

Hudson News Summer 2025: Director\u2019s message<\/h3>\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n \n
\n <\/div>\n
\n

A tiny baby, a big fight for life<\/h3>\n \n \n \n <\/g>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n \n \n
\n <\/div>\n
\n