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The following is an excerpt from an article published in UCalgary's arch magazine, June, 2023.

Three or four years ago, an interesting thing happened to gut health. From the science behind it to the foods required to keep it thriving, the community of micro-organisms that live inside our bodies reached cocktail party-conversation status. Indeed, it’s virtually impossible to turn on the TV or walk through a grocery store without seeing the promotion of probiotics, skincare products, drink powders, packaged snacks and cookbooks claiming improved gut health (legit or not).

It was about time “microbiome” became a household word: more than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, proclaimed that “all diseases begin in the gut.” A growing body of research proves he wasn’t far off.  

The “gut” is shorthand for the entire, highly complex digestive tract. The word microbiome refers to the collection of trillions of microbes and their activities — sometimes called their “theatre of activity,” referring to microbial structures, metabolites, genes, etc. — is found mostly in our gut and in and around other areas of our bodies. These bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi play a major role in shaping and educating our immune systems. Every person has a unique microbiome that plays an instrumental role in health and wellness, protecting us from pathogens and chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and chronic infections. 

Not surprisingly, the quest to unlock the mysteries of the gut microbiome is considered one of the most important scientific pursuits in human health this century. ����ɫ�� experts at the global forefront of transformative microbiome discovery are asking, and answering, profound questions to change the future of health.

The Centre to Study it All

Dr. Kathy McCoy, PhD, is a professor of physiology and pharmacology in the  (CSM), as well as the scientific director of ����ɫ�� renowned  The IMC is a hub for translational gut-health research, designed to investigate the microbiome of humans, plants, animals and the physical environment. Its germ-free facility, biobank and real-time imaging lab, as well as its partnership with the ,�� (HBI), and other labs and departments, support cutting-edge discovery. McCoy and her team, as well as colleagues from a variety of disciplines across UCalgary, are empowered to work toward their ultimate purpose to, as McCoy says, “harness the microbiome to better treat and prevent disease.” Already, their work has shed light on the profound role of the gut microbiome in our physical and mental health.

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