Imperial scientist gets £48k for gut microbiome research to fight bowel disease

Bowel Research UK has awarded £48,000 to a clinician scientist at Imperial and St Mark’s National Bowel Hospital for research into the gut microbiome.

The Bowel Research UK charity is funding four research grants as part of its first microbiome research round, allocating more than £330,000 to teams in Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Liverpool.

The gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses living in our digestive system. Research has shown that having a healthy gut microbiome has positive effects on many aspects of health – from helping maintain a healthy weight and mental health to reducing the risk of bowel cancer and managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. However, it is still an under-researched area.

Bowel cancer rates are rising in adults under 50 globally. Rates of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are also increasing. Experts believe this is due to changes in diet and lifestyle in countries where these trends are seen, such as the increased use of antibiotics and reduced dietary fibre intake. These affect the gut microbiome and are thought to increase the risk of bowel cancer and IBD.

The four research projects are:

1. Investigating whether faecal microbiota transplants (FMT, or poo transplants) delivered as a capsule can help people with inflammatory bowel disease manage their symptoms, led by Dr James Alexander at Imperial College London's Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction and St Mark’s Hospital, London.
2. Understanding how the gut microbiome affects the response bowel cancer patients have to treatment and their recovery, led by Mr Ahsan Javed at the University of Liverpool.
3. Analysing the contents of FMT, how it changes as it is made into its medicinal form and the impact this has on its effectiveness in treating disease, led by Dr Richard Horniblow at the University of Birmingham.
4. Investigating how bacteria feed on dead cells and how this contributes to the development of gut wall damage and disease, led by Dr CJ Anderson at the University of Edinburgh.

This is the first time Bowel Research UK has dedicated a grants round to one research area. A fundraising campaign for the grants round was launched at the charity’s gold award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show microbiome garden in May 2024, which explored the connection between a healthy landscape and soil, a healthy gut, and a healthy mind. 

Lindsay Easton, Chief Executive of Bowel Research UK, said: “Our research funding focuses on early career researchers – those starting their research careers who will bring new ideas to ongoing challenges. We saw a particularly high quality of applications for this grant round, and we’re excited to be backing the microbiome experts of the future who will, no doubt, shape the way bowel cancer and bowel disease is diagnosed and treated.”

Dr James Kinross, Bowel Research UK’s microbiome clinical expert who led the scientific committee assessing the grant applications, and is also a Reader in Colorectal Surgery and a Consultant Surgeon at Imperial, said: “Ten years ago, research on the gut microbiome was seen as in its infancy and, despite it now being a hot topic in discussion around diet and its impact on health, it is still under-funded. These four research grants will make a huge difference in enhancing our understanding of the gut microbiome and will have a positive impact on patients in the future.”

The article was adapted from a Bowel Research UK press release.