Exploring the effect of ageing on the microbiome

The Global Grants for Gut Health (GGGH) programme continues to support research projects that are investigating new ways to maintain human health through elucidating novel mechanisms of microbiota–host interactions. We warmly congratulate the three recipients of the 2022 GGGH, which supports studies focused on ageing and the microbiome. As we age, our microbiomes undergo several periods of considerable change, and these compositional and/or functional changes may affect our susceptibility to various age-related diseases. We are proud to present the three applicants and their projects.

Vasiliki Koliaraki (Biomedical Sciences Research Center “Alexander Fleming”, Vari, Greece) will use the research project “Aetiopathogenic microbiota-induced stromal changes in the ageing intestine” to investigate links between the intestinal environment and age-related diseases. Specifically, the team will explore whether age-associated disruption in the gut barrier integrity and influx of microbiota into the mucosal layer alters the properties of fibroblasts and increases the risk of carcinogenesis. They will use a range of techniques and model systems to determine the detailed mechanisms involved and identify cellular and molecular pathways, which could then be targeted in future therapeutic approaches. Interesting findings will be validated in humans using publicly available datasets.

Sean Gibbons (Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, USA) will explore “Healthy ageing and the human gut microbiome: why we cannot just turn back the clock.” This project is novel in that rather than seeking to re-establish a ‘younger’ microbiota, it aims to consider microbiota changes alongside other age-related changes, and modify the microbiota accordingly. To characterize age-dependent associations between microbial functional genes and clinical variables to identify patterns associated with healthy ageing, the team will investigate meta-datasets for a large cohort of more than 3,000 individuals. They will then use an in silico model to design dietary and probiotic interventions to explore the effect on beneficial and detrimental microbial metabolites associated with ageing.

Paul O’Toole (APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Ireland) will focus on “Linking gut microbiome taxa and their metabolites to neurocognitive disorders.” The team will investigate whether age-related disturbances in the gut microbiome leading to increased inflammation and disturbed gut barrier function are associated with subsequent neurocognitive disorders. Focusing on groups of older adults with varying degrees of cognitive impairment, they will combine gut microbiota analysis with quantifying blood markers of brain pathology and inflammation. Finally, they will investigate whether cognitive differences can be attenuated through specific interventions in pre-clinical studies.

Together with the rest of the panel, I’m confident that these excellent projects will help to lay the foundations for future solutions for healthy ageing linked to features of our gut microbiomes. I wish the three recipients the best of luck with their crucial work.

Finally, I’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to fellow panelists Ami Bhatt, Eran Elinav, Sarah Lebeer, Kiyoshi Takeda and Liping Zhao for their excellent and essential contributions to the evaluation process.

Meet the panel