Dr. Craig E. Wheelock
Associate Professor. Craig Wheelock Karolinska Institutet

Project description

This project aim will investigate the effect of microbiota-derived lipid mediators produced from dietary fatty acids upon the gut mucosa. In particular, the 18-carbon fatty acids (e.g., linoleic and alpha-linolenic acid) are metabolized by the gut microbiota into downstream lipid mediators collectively called octadecanoids (analogous to the 20-carbon containing eicosanoids).

These compounds can exert potent biological functions in pro- and anti-inflammatory processes and recent studies have demonstrated a role of these gut microbial-derived products in several pathologies. Studies will focus on the role of these metabolites in intestinal development and barrier function in vivo. This project will use in vivo zebrafish-based models and murine small intestine organoids combined with high-throughput platforms to interrogate the function of microbiota-derived octadecanoids in the modulation of intestinal development.

What will this grant bring to the research project?

Grant support from the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation is vital for the initiation of this novel project. There is little information to date on these novel octadecanoid lipid mediators. Accordingly, the support from the Foundation in the early phases of the project makes it possible for us to initiate this project and generate preliminary results.

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