Role of Gut Bacteria in Disease Risk

CHICAGO Rush University Medical Center received a $750,000 Grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to chart the presence of microorganisms in the gut and determine how microbial imbalances might impact diseases.

Similar to what has been done with human DNA, we want to map out the composition of these microorganisms from their DNA and analyze how they correlate to diseases and changes within the immune system, said Dr. Ece Mutlu, gastroenterologist at Rush and principal investigator of the study.  If we are able to find the microbes responsible for particular diseases, it may increase the likelihood of developing new diagnostic tests and treatments for diseases like breast cancer.

The study will begin by exploring the relationship between breast cancer and gastrointestinal microbiota. Because only 5 to 10 percent of total breast cancer cases can be directly attributed to breast cancer susceptibility genes such as BRCA2 and BRCA 2, Rush researchers are exploring the possibility that the gut microbiome passed on from mother to child may be another familial factor previously never accounted for in the genetic risk models.

The study will also allow researchers to explore gastrointestinal microbiota as a major risk factor for breast cancer compared to better known genetic and environmental risk factors.

The currently recognized environmental risk factors are estimated to account for only 40 percent of the variance in breast cancer incidence, said Mutlu. There is a large body of evidence implicating that dietary factors such as alcohol, high fat foods are also possible breast cancer risk enhancers, and fruits and vegetables are protective.