Shijie Cao, PhD
Enabling Therapeutic Potential of Short-Chain Fatty Acids Via the Gut-Brain Axis
Summary
Imbalance in the gut microbiome — the community of microorganisms (e.g., bacteria) that live in our intestines — is associated with various inflammatory, allergic, and autoimmune disorders. As part of the digestion process, beneficial gut bacteria produce small molecules such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have anti-inflammatory properties and can help relieve gut microbiome imbalance. My research team aims to leverage the therapeutic potential of SCFAs by developing a next-generation platform to deliver SCFAs to different sites of the body to inhibit inflammation in a controlled manner. We hope to overcome existing challenges with SCFA therapies, including the unpleasant odor and taste, limited effectiveness due to rapid absorption and metabolism by the body, and the consequently high dosage requirements. By slowly releasing SCFAs through enzymatic or bacterial digestion in the final section of the intestines, our approach seeks to achieve long-lasting microbiome and immune modulatory effects. Successful development of this platform could pave the way for new treatment approaches for neuroinflammation and enhance our understanding of the microbiome-gut-brain axis.
Watch a Q&A with Shijie
The Faculty Starter Grant from the PhRMA Foundation is crucial for establishing our presence in the field of drug delivery. It provides enormous support for our work in developing engineering tools to harness the potential benefits of the microbiome, especially at this very early stage.
