Assistant Research Scientist Claudia Figueroa-Romero, PhD, and Research Assistant Professor Benjamin Murdock, PhD, are co-first authors of a paper that found an association between gut bacteria and the immune system during ALS progression in a mouse model. They found that changes in gut bacteria preceded alterations in the immune system. This could drive future research aimed at understanding the timing that ALS progresses as it relates to gut bacteria and immune system changes. It suggests that there could be specific time windows when treatments could be implemented to modify gut bacteria and/or the immune system to slow the disease.
Drs. Murdock and Figueroa-Romero
Drs. Figueroa-Romero and Murdock were highlighted by the publishing journal, Disease Models & Mechanisms, with a “First Person” interview, which includes further insights into what this work could mean to future ALS research. Read an excerpt below and find the full article HERE.
What are the potential implications of these results for your field of research?
CFR+BM: Both bacterial communities and immune changes have been previously implicated in ALS progression. Defining the temporal occurrence and interrelation of these pathological processes may identify specific windows when the disease may be treated with specific therapies. In addition, because of the strong link between the microbiome and the immune system, we may be able to modulate the impact of the immune system in ALS by changing the microbiome: probiotics, fecal transplants, etc. may be viable therapeutic options to slow ALS progression.
“Temporal evolution of the microbiome, immune system and epigenome with disease progression in ALS mice” was published in November 2019. The article is available HERE.
