ENRICHING SOCIETY
SAY CHEESE
Forget white mice , cheese is the new lab rat .
BY KIM MCDONALD
UC San Diego Joins White House ’ s National Microbiome Initiative
YOU ’ LL NEVER LOOK at it the same way again — those green-blue veins in a block of Roquefort . The white , powdery rind of Brie . Even the holes in a slice of Swiss . All are the result of fungal and bacterial interactions , making for a perfect environment to study microbial communities . ( Apologies if that ruins your appetite .)
Assistant Professor of Biology Rachel Dutton , ERC ’ 02 , is taking a cue from 10,000 years of artisanal cheesemaking to better understand how the microbial communities form and work together to create some of the most prized culinary delicacies . But the true impact of her research goes far beyond the cutting board .
“ Cheese and other fermented foods are examples of highly reproducible and very interesting microbial communities ,” says Dutton . “ And those communities are what gives food like cheese interesting flavors , textures and smells that we recognize . Simple systems like cheese allow us to bring these organisms easily into the lab .”
Dutton seeks to answer how the different communities of bacteria and fungi come together in the first place and evolve over time . The insights gathered could have profound applications outside of food , and help us better analyze and manipulate the interactions of microbial communities to benefit human health .
“ When we eat a food like cheese , we don ’ t think about the fact that this is an ecosystem we ’ re eating ,” says Dutton . “ Our studies look at what happens to these microbes when you eat them and whether they have any impact on the gut microbiome .”
Dutton ’ s research brings a novel approach to UC San Diego ’ s campuswide Microbiome and Microbial Sciences Initiative , which unites researchers on collaborative efforts for a more detailed understanding of the microbiome — the distinct communities of bacteria , viruses and other microorganisms that live within and around us .
In May , the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy launched the new National Microbiome Initiative to accelerate research . UC San Diego ’ s Center for Microbiome Innovation , led by Rob Knight , Ph . D ., is a key player in the nationwide effort , targeting the human microbiome as a means to manage disease , and exploring the microbiome as a source for new drugs and potential tools for precision medicine .
As an example of this effort , an interdisciplinary team of UC San Diego physicians , microbiome researchers , chemists , genomics experts and bioinformaticians are collaborating to build a 3-D map of the chemistry associated with cystic fibrosis and how it shapes the lung microbiome . The goal is to develop more effective , highly personalized treatments for potentially fatal lung infections that frequently affect people with the disease .
12 TRITON | FALL 2016