/ en /news/researchers-identify-gut-microbiome-signatures-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 14 Jun 2023 12:59:00 +0000 tulrich@broadinstitute.org 1282366 at /news/several-preexisting-RSV-lineages-powered-the-2022-surge <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Wed, 22 Feb 2023 22:00:00 +0000 Corie Lok 1281691 at /news/broad-discovery-center-cambridge-opens-public-october <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 19 Sep 2022 14:53:09 +0000 kzusi@broadinstitute.org 1195701 at /news/how-body-identifies-helpful-bacteria <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fri, 16 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000 aviveros@broadinstitute.org 1192581 at /news/researchers-decipher-how-gut-bacterium-influences-immunity <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Tue, 26 Jul 2022 15:09:05 +0000 Corie Lok 1151561 at /news/repeated-urinary-tract-infections-may-stem-disrupted-microbiome <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 02 May 2022 18:34:44 +0000 Corie Lok 1131481 at /news/machine-learning-could-help-scientists-design-better-viral-diagnostics-0 <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 03 Mar 2022 16:06:55 +0000 adicorat 1127651 at /news/untangling-immune-response-vaccines <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 02 Dec 2021 17:13:02 +0000 adicorat 1126841 at /news/large-genomic-analysis-highlights-covid-19-risk-factors <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Thu, 08 Jul 2021 16:00:00 +0000 adicorat 976951 at /news/study-links-blood-cell-mutations-increased-infection-risk-age <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"> <span>By Tom Ulrich</span> </span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> <div class="hero-section container"> <div class="hero-section__row row"> <div class="hero-section__content hero-section__content_left col-6"> <div class="hero-section__breadcrumbs"> <div class="block block-system block-system-breadcrumb-block"> <nav class="breadcrumb" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="system-breadcrumb"> <h2 id="system-breadcrumb" class="visually-hidden">Breadcrumb</h2> <ol> <li> <a href="/">Home</a> </li> <li> <a href="/news">News</a> </li> </ol> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__title"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storytitle"> <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden"><h1>Researchers identify gut microbiome signatures linked to precancerous colon polyps</h1> </span> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__description"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storybody"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New study looks at gut microbes' influence, findings may help with prevention</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__author"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-extra-field-blocknodelong-storyextra-field-author-custom"> By MGH News And Public Affairs </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__date"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storycreated"> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2023-06-14T08:59:00-04:00" title="Wednesday, June 14, 2023 - 08:59" class="datetime">June 14, 2023</time> </span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="hero-section__right col-6"> <div class="hero-section__image"> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-image"> <div class="field field--name-field-image field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> <article class="media media--type-image media--view-mode-multiple-content-types-header"> <div class="field field--name-field-media-image field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <picture> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1921px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop_xl/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=C_dbO7Q3 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1601px) and (max-width: 1920px)" type="image/jpeg" width="754" height="503"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_desktop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=s9p2uB9I 1x" media="all and (min-width: 1340px) and (max-width: 1600px)" type="image/jpeg" width="736" height="520"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_laptop/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=3TP_caAM 1x" media="all and (min-width: 800px) and (max-width: 1339px)" type="image/jpeg" width="641" height="451"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_tablet/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=2nZb8qCU 1x" media="all and (min-width: 540px) and (max-width: 799px)" type="image/jpeg" width="706" height="417"> <source srcset="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ 1x" media="all and (max-width: 539px)" type="image/jpeg" width="499" height="294"> <img loading="eager" width="499" height="294" src="/files/styles/multiple_ct_header_phone/public/longstory/colorectal-cancer_nci-vol-9867-150_743x503.jpeg?itok=FNiCHRBJ" alt="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." title="A microscope image of human colon cancer cells on a black background. The nuclei of the cells are stained red, and the protein E-cadherin is stained green." typeof="foaf:Image"> </picture> </div> <div class="media-caption"> <div class="media-caption__credit"> Credit: NCI Center for Cancer Research </div> <div class="media-caption__description"> Human colon cancer cells. </div> </div> </article> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block block-better-social-sharing-buttons block-social-sharing-buttons-block"> <div style="display: none"><link rel="preload" href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg" as="image" type="image/svg+xml" crossorigin="anonymous"></div> <div class="social-sharing-buttons"> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=/taxonomy/term/617/feed&amp;title=" target="_blank" title="Share to Facebook" aria-label="Share to Facebook" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-facebook" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#facebook" /> </svg> </a> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=+/taxonomy/term/617/feed" target="_blank" title="Share to X" aria-label="Share to X" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-x" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#x" /> </svg> </a> <a href="mailto:?subject=&amp;body=/taxonomy/term/617/feed" title="Share to Email" aria-label="Share to Email" class="social-sharing-buttons-button share-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> <svg aria-hidden="true" width="32px" height="32px" style="border-radius:100%;"> <use href="/modules/contrib/better_social_sharing_buttons/assets/dist/sprites/social-icons--no-color.svg#email" /> </svg> </a> </div> </div> <div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-content-paragraphs"> <div class="field field--name-field-content-paragraphs field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--text-with-sidebar text-with-sidebar"> <div class="field field--name-field-sidebar field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant people</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--sidebar-text paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Relevant programs</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A new study by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the ӳ����ý of MIT and Harvard has linked certain types of gut bacteria to the development of precancerous colon polyps. Their results are published in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank"><i>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</i></a>.</p> <p>“Researchers have done a lot of work to understand the relationship between the gut microbiome and cancer. But this new study is about understanding the microbiome’s influence on precancerous polyps,” said Daniel Chung, medical co-director of the Center for Cancer Risk Assessment at Mass General Cancer Center, and co-corresponding author on the study with <a href="/node/4721">Ramnik Xavier</a>, a core institute member at ӳ����ý, co-director of the institute's <a href="/node/8543">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a>, and director of the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General; and Jonathan Wei Jie Lee, a visiting scientist in the Xavier lab from the National University of Singapore.</p> <p>“Through the microbiome, we potentially have an opportunity to intervene and prevent colorectal cancer from forming,” Chung said.</p> <p>Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, and rates of colorectal cancer are rising among young adults. Nearly all colorectal cancers arise from a precancerous polyp, the two main types of which are tubular adenomas and sessile serrated polyps. One of the best ways to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer is to stop the growth at the polyp stage.</p> <p>There’s more than one way for a polyp to develop. Risk factors for colorectal cancer and polyps include lifestyle factors like being overweight or obese, low physical activity levels, a diet high in red and processed meats, smoking, and alcohol use.</p> <p>These factors also influence the bacteria that live in our intestines, collectively known as the gut microbiome.</p> <h2>Environmental factors and polyp growth</h2> <p>Researchers think these environmental influences could promote polyp growth in one of two ways. Either they change the gut microbiome directly in a way that encourages polyp growth, or they promote polyp growth, which in turn influences the gut microbiome by directly affecting the cells lining the intestines.</p> <p>Earlier, smaller studies trying to link the gut microbiome to polyps have not found a consistent pattern, though they didn’t look at these two types of polyps specifically.</p> <p>To study the gut microbiome’s link to colon polyps, the researchers took data from 1,200 people getting routine screening colonoscopies. They gathered information on their health, diet, medications, and lifestyle, and analyzed stool samples to determine the bacterial makeup of the study group’s gut microbiome.</p> <p>The new research is the biggest study from an extensive collaborative research program, the GI Disease and Endoscopy Registry at Mass General, which allows these researchers to understand gastrointestinal diseases in greater depth than ever. This registry remains active and ongoing data collection will enable longitudinal follow-up.</p> <p>The new study, the largest of its kind, analyzed the differences in the gut microbial signature of people without colon polyps, with tubular adenomas, or with sessile serrated adenomas. They also correlated these data with patients’ health and family histories.</p> <p>Bacterial signatures clustered into three groups based on the type and presence of polyps in the colon. Nineteen bacterial species were significantly different in patients with tubular adenomas than in other populations. In patients with sessile serrated adenomas, eight species were significantly different.</p> <p>The authors note that the study population was mostly white, limiting generalizability to other population groups, and that the study cannot establish whether bacterial species or adenoma tissue changes first.</p> <p>The next step is for researchers to isolate specific species of bacteria acting in the gut and see whether they can verify these functional relationships between the bacterial species and polyp growth with a model in a lab.</p> <p>This information could help develop a probiotic or treatment to lower colorectal cancer risk or as a screening method to assess polyp or colorectal cancer risk.</p> <p>“The hope is that by changing specific aspects of the diet or the microbiome, we can alter the natural history of these polyps,” Chung said. "Interventions to prevent polyp formation or alter their growth patterns may ultimately prevent colorectal cancer."</p> <p>Additional authors included Damian Plichta of ӳ����ý and Shreya Asher, Marisa Delsignore, Tiffany Jeong, Jessica McGoldrick, Kyle Staller, and Hamed Khalili, of Mass General.</p> <p><i>Adapted from </i><a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/news/some-gut-bacteria-linked-precancerous-colon-polyps" target="_blank"><i>a press release issued by Massachusetts General Hospital</i></a><i>.</i></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="field field--name-field-paragraph field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Funding</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The study was funded in part by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the National Institute of Aging, the Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics at MIT, and the Center for the Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease at Mass General.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div class="paragraph paragraph--type--table-outro-row paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-heading field--type-text field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Paper cited</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Lee JWJ, et al.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(23)00158-0" target="_blank">Association of distinct microbial signatures with premalignant colorectal adenomas</a>. <em>Cell Host &amp; Microbe</em>. Online April 30, 2023. DOI:&nbsp;10.1016/j.chom.2023.04.007.</p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="content-section container"> <div class="content-section__main"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags block block-layout-builder block-field-blocknodelong-storyfield-broad-tags"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__row"> <div class="block-node-broad-tags__title">Tags:</div> <div class="field field--name-field-broad-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome-0" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome Program</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/xavier-lab" hreflang="en">Xavier Lab</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/cancer" hreflang="en">Cancer</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/infectious-disease-and-microbiome" hreflang="en">Infectious Disease and Microbiome</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/broad-tags/ramnik-xavier" hreflang="en">Ramnik Xavier</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Mon, 07 Jun 2021 15:00:00 +0000 adicorat 915476 at