Modelling Human Gut-Microbiome Interactions in a 3D Bioelectronic Platform
Small Sci. 2024 Apr 22;4(6):2300349. doi: 10.1002/smsc.202300349. eCollection 2024 Jun.
ABSTRACT
The role of the gut microbiome in various aspects of health and disease is now a well-established concept in modern biomedicine. Numerous studies have revealed links between host health and microbial activity, spanning from digestion and metabolism to autoimmune disorders, stress and neuroinflammation. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this complex cross-talk still remain a mystery. Conventionally, studies examining host-microbiome interactions rely on animal models, but translation of such findings into human systems is challenging. Bioengineered models represent a highly promisingapproach for tackling such challenges. Here, a bioelectronic platform, the e-transmembrane, is used to establish a 3D model of human intestine, to study the effects of microbiota on gut barrier integrity. More specifically, how postbiotics and live bacteria impact the morphology and function of the intestinal barrier is evaluated. e-Transmembrane devices provide a means for in-line and label-free continuous monitoring of host-microbe cross-talk using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, revealing distinct patterns that emerge over 24 hours. Microscopy and quantification of molecular biomarkers further validate the differential effects of each bacterial intervention on the host tissue. In addition, a framework to better study and screen drug candidates and potential therapeutic/dietary interventions, such as postbiotics and probiotics, in more physiologically relevant human models is provided.
PMID:40212761 | PMC:PMC11935216 | DOI:10.1002/smsc.202300349
Clinical Veterinarian in First Opinion Equine Practice
Passionate about first-opinion equine work? Join our team of ambulatory and clinic-based equine vets who combine clinical work with teaching future vets.
Role Overview: We are seeking an experienced Clinical Veterinarian in First Opinion Equine Practice to join our dynamic team, following a recent change within the service. Contribute to the continued development of our general equine practice and teach final-year vet students during their clinical rotations.
What We Offer: · Salary and Start: Up to £55,755/year + out-of-hours pay. Earliest start June 2025. · Contract: Full-time, permanent. However, we also welcome applications from individuals seeking part-time arrangements (minimum 3 days per week. Ideally be on consecutive days, but other days would be considered. Must include Fridays). Please specify your preferred working days in your application. · Annual Leave: 41 days/year (pro rata for part-time). · Professional Development: 10 days/year for CPD (pro rata for part-time). · Work-Life Balance: Planned admin time, good social/team time, supportive environment. · Pension Scheme: Very generous. · Enhanced Benefits: Maternity, Paternity, Parental Leave Pay, well-being support. · Employee Discounts: Retail and travel benefits. · Development Opportunities: Development of professional interests and leadership skills encouraged and fully supported.
Key Responsibilities: · Provide high-standard clinical service in equine practice. · Support the Principal Clinical Veterinarian in Equine General Practice. · Teach and mentor vet students during their equine clinical rotations. · Contribute to the expansion and enhancement of first-opinion equine services. · Participate in out-of-hours rota (additional pay).
About Us: We are an independent equine practice operating out of the vet school site including the Queens Veterinary School Hospital. You will be working alongside a diverse and integrated equine clinical team and embedded within a wider community of clinicians and support staff dedicated to providing compassionate veterinary clinical services to patients and clients in the Cambridgeshire area. Cambridge Equine Clinic provides ambulatory services within a 40-mile radius of the vet school, supported by outstanding clinic facilities including a new indoor menage, several well-equipped treatment rooms with stocks, full-surgical facilities, and an impressive array of equipment. Our team includes equine RVNs, experienced techs, with support from specialists in anaesthesia, clinical pathology and radiology.
Requirements: · Membership of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. · Relevant experience in equine practice. · Passion for teaching and mentoring veterinary students.
Informal Enquiries: Please contact Craig Rutland, Principal Clinical Veterinarian in Equine General Practice, via email: cr763@cam.ac.uk.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Please outline in your job application how you meet the essential criteria set out in the Further Particulars.
Applications will be monitored regularly, and we may contact candidates prior to the closing date. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Shared practice vehicles are provided for work use.
Join us in shaping the future of equine veterinary practice and education at Cambridge Vet School! For more information about the Department, visit www.vet.cam.ac.uk.
The University actively supports equality, diversity, and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society. The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Assc. Prof. in Equine Orthopaedics and Surgery
We require a part-time specialist in Equine Orthopaedics and Surgery to join team in order to manage and direct teaching in equine orthopaedics and surgery within the Department of Veterinary Medicine. You will take overall responsibility for the practical and didactic teaching of clinical veterinary students in the area of equine surgery and orthopaedics, including the planning, preparation and delivery of lectures, seminars, and classes and the provision of innovative course developments in relevant subject area(s). Working closely with the Equine Teaching Professor, you will be closely involved in the setting and marking of VetMB examinations including examination of both practical skills and theoretical knowledge across the clinical years of the course. You will also supervise student research projects in relevant area(s).
You will be a Diploma holder of the AVCS, ECVS, or RCVS, and :
Have a veterinary degree registerable with the Royal College of Veterinary
Surgeons and documented teaching experience.
Informal enquiries should be directed to Anna Hollis by email arh207@cam.ac.uk
For more information about the Department please visit www.vet.cam.ac.uk
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Interviews are expected to be held late May/early June 2025
Please quote reference PP45681 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Common variants in the CPT1A gene are associated with cataracts in Northern breeds of domestic dog
PLoS One. 2025 Apr 4;20(4):e0320878. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320878. eCollection 2025.
ABSTRACT
Primary hereditary cataract affects many purebred domestic dog breeds and is a major cause of visual impairment in dogs. Cataracts are common in Northern breeds such as the Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute and Samoyed, but their aetiology is currently unknown. Only two genetic loci are known to be causally related to primary hereditary cataracts in the dog. To search for genetic loci associated with cataracts in Northern breeds, we used a genome-wide association study approach in three breeds-Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute and Samoyed. Cases were defined as dogs with bilateral posterior polar subcapsular cataracts and controls were at least four years of age with no evidence of cataracts or other ocular abnormality. We found a genome-wide statistical association for cataracts in the Siberian Husky on canine chromosome 18 (P-value: 1.1 x 10 - 7), which was independently replicated in a second larger case-control set (P-value 9.8 x 10 - 29). The Samoyed breed also showed evidence for association in the same genomic region (P-value: 2.4 x 10 - 5). We subsequently used targeted resequencing of the associated region (6.5 Mb) in ten Siberian Huskies and whole genome sequencing of a Husky, Malamute, Samoyed and Norwegian Buhund case to conduct fine-mapping and screen for candidate causal variants. These analyses identified a region of linkage disequilibrium in the four breeds containing common variants in the carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1A (CPT1A) gene that are strongly associated with bilateral posterior polar subcapsular cataracts in the Siberian Husky, Samoyed, Icelandic Sheepdog and Norwegian Buhund and we demonstrate that CPT1A is expressed in the dog lens and retina through RNAseq. Our findings represent a novel locus for cataracts in dogs. However, further work is needed to elucidate the pathophysiology underlying the association between CPT1A and cataracts in Northern breeds.
PMID:40184359 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0320878
Early calf segregation enables development of bovine tuberculosis-free replacement stock in a highly infected dairy herd: a preliminary study in Ethiopia
Front Vet Sci. 2025 Mar 19;12:1551065. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1551065. eCollection 2025.
ABSTRACT
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) severely impacts Ethiopia's growing dairy sector, where test-and-cull control methods are economically unfeasible, and test-and-segregation is impractical in herds with very high prevalence. We assessed the feasibility of establishing bTB-free replacement stock through early segregation of calves born to bTB-positive cows. In a two-year longitudinal study on a high-prevalence (98% tuberculin skin test positive) dairy farm, 26 newborn calves were separated from their bTB-positive dams on day five after birth and screened for bTB at 2 to 5 month intervals across eight rounds, with test-positive calves immediately removed from the negative herd. The majority of segregated calves (19 out of 25; 76%; 95% CI: 58-94) remained bTB-test negative through the testing period, with nine uninfected female calves and two males reaching 18 months of age, demonstrating potential for establishing bTB-free breeding stock. However, six calves (24%; 95% CI: 6-42) turned to test positive during the study period. The extended dam-calf contact during the first five days likely contributed to some infections, suggesting that immediate separation and alternative colostrum sources could improve success rates. The addition of interferon gamma release assays in later testing rounds enabled detection of infected animals potentially missed by skin testing alone, highlighting the value of complementary diagnostic approaches for surveillance. These findings provide preliminary evidence that early calf segregation can generate bTB-negative replacement stock from infected herds, and provide a framework for larger-scale studies across different farm settings.
PMID:40177672 | PMC:PMC11963379 | DOI:10.3389/fvets.2025.1551065
Embracing the unknown: Proteomic insights into the human microbiome
Cell Metab. 2025 Apr 1;37(4):799-801. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2025.02.003.
ABSTRACT
Protein-level investigations into the human microbiome provide insights into active microbial functions. Recently, Valdés-Mas et al.1 introduced a metagenome-informed metaproteomics approach to functionally explore species-level microbiome-host interactions and quantify the dietary exposome. Its potential has been implemented in mice and humans to uncover proteomic signatures of health and inflammatory bowel disease.
PMID:40174574 | DOI:10.1016/j.cmet.2025.02.003
Antimicrobial peptides in nematode secretions - Unveiling biotechnological opportunities for therapeutics and beyond
Biotechnol Adv. 2025 Mar 26:108572. doi: 10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108572. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Gastrointestinal (GI) parasitic nematodes threaten food security and affect human health and animal welfare globally. Current anthelmintics for use in humans and livestock are challenged by continuous re-infections and the emergence and spread of multidrug resistance, underscoring an urgent need to identify novel control targets for therapeutic exploitation. Recent evidence has highlighted the occurrence of complex interplay between GI parasitic nematodes of humans and livestock and the resident host gut microbiota. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) found within nematode biofluids have emerged as potential effectors of these interactions. This review delves into the occurrence, structure, and function of nematode AMPs, highlighting their potential as targets for drug discovery and development. We argue that an integrated approach combining advanced analytical techniques, scalable production methods, and innovative experimental models is needed to unlock the full potential of nematode AMPs and pave the way for the discovery and development of sustainable parasite control strategies.
PMID:40154760 | DOI:10.1016/j.biotechadv.2025.108572
Progressive evolution of <em>Streptococcus equi</em> from <em>Streptococcus equi</em> subsp. <em>zooepidemicus</em> and adaption to equine hosts
Microb Genom. 2025 Mar;11(3). doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001366.
ABSTRACT
Streptococcus equi subsp. equi causes the equine respiratory disease 'strangles', which is highly contagious, debilitating and costly to the equine industry. S. equi emerged from the ancestral Streptococcus equi subsp. zooepidemicus and continues to evolve and disseminate globally. Previous work has shown that there was a global population replacement around the beginning of the twentieth century, obscuring the early genetic events in this emergence. Here, we have used large-scale genomic analysis of S. equi and its ancestor S. zooepidemicus to identify evolutionary events, leading to the successful expansion of S. equi. One thousand two hundred one whole-genome sequences of S. equi were recovered from clinical samples or from data available in public databases. Seventy-four whole-genome sequences representative of the diversity of S. zooepidemicus were used to compare the gene content and examine the evolutionary emergence of S. equi. A dated Bayesian phylogeny was constructed, and ancestral state reconstruction was used to determine the order and timing of gene gain and loss events between the different species and between different S. equi lineages. Additionally, a newly developed framework was used to investigate the fitness of different S. equi lineages. We identified a novel S. equi lineage, comprising isolates from donkeys in Chinese farms, which diverged nearly 300 years ago, after the emergence of S. equi from S. zooepidemicus, but before the global sweep. Ancestral state reconstruction demonstrated that phage-encoded virulence factors slaA, seeL and seeM were acquired by the global S. equi after the divergence of the basal donkey lineage. We identified the equibactin locus in both S. equi populations, but not S. zooepidemicus, reinforcing its role as a key S. equi virulence mechanism involved in its initial emergence. Evidence of a further population sweep beginning in the early 2000s was detected in the UK. This clade now accounts for more than 80% of identified UK cases since 2016. Several sub-lineages demonstrated increased fitness, within which we identified the acquisition of a new, fifth prophage containing additional toxin genes. We definitively show that acquisition of the equibactin locus was a major determinant in S. equi becoming an equid-exclusive pathogen, but that other virulence factors were fixed by the population sweep at the beginning of the twentieth century. Evidence of a secondary population sweep in the UK and acquisition of further advantageous genes implies that S. equi is continuing to adapt, and therefore, continued investigations are required to determine further risks to the equine industry.
PMID:40152912 | DOI:10.1099/mgen.0.001366
Students from across the country get a taste of studying at Cambridge at the Cambridge Festival
We were delighted to welcome pupils from Warrington’s Lymm High School, Ipswich High School, The Charter School in North Dulwich, Rickmansworth School, Sutton Valance School in Maidstone as well as schools closer to home such as St Peter’s Huntingdon, Fenstanton Primary School, Barton Primary School, Impington Village College and St Andrews School in Soham.
Running over two days (25/26 March 2025) and held in the Cambridge Sports Centre, students went on a great alien hunt with Dr Matt Bothwell from the Institute of Astronomy, stepped back in time to explore Must Farm with Department of Archaeology and the Cambridge Archaeological Unit as well as learning to disagree well with Dr Elizabeth Phillips from The Woolf Institute.
Schools had a choice of workshops from a range of departments including, how to think like an engineer and making sustainable food with biotechnology with researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, as well as the chance to get hands-on experience in the world of materials science and explore how properties of materials can be influenced by temperature at the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy.
The Department of Veterinary Medicine offered students the opportunity to find out what a career in veterinary medicine may look like with workshops on animal x-rays, how different professionals work together to treat animals in a veterinary hospital as well as meeting the departments horses and cows and learn how veterinarians diagnose and treat these large animals.
Students also had the opportunity to learn about antibodies and our immune system with the MRC Toxicology Unit. The students learnt about the incredible job antibodies do defending our bodies against harmful invaders like bacteria and viruses.
Alongside this, a maths trail, developed by Cambridgeshire County Council, guided students around the West Cambridge site whilst testing their maths skills with a number of problems to solve.
Now in their third year, the Cambridge Festival schools days are offering students the opportunity to experience studying at Cambridge with a series of curriculum linked talks and hands on workshops.
The Cambridge Festival runs from 19 March – 4 April and is a mixture of online, on-demand and in-person events covering all aspects of the world-leading research happening at Cambridge. The public have the chance to meet some of the researchers and thought-leaders working in some of the pioneering fields that will impact us all.
Over 500 KS2 and KS3 students from as far away as Warrington got the chance to experience studying at the University of Cambridge with a selection of lectures and workshops held as part of the Cambridge Festival.
Students make antibody keychains during a workshop with the MRC Toxicology Unit
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Isolation of phages infecting the zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus suis reveals novel structural and genomic characteristics
Microbiol Res. 2025 Mar 21;296:128147. doi: 10.1016/j.micres.2025.128147. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Bacteriophage research has experienced a renaissance in recent years, owing to their therapeutic potential and versatility in biotechnology, particularly in combating antibiotic resistant-bacteria along the farm-to-fork continuum. However, certain pathogens remain underexplored as targets for phage therapy, including the zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus suis which causes infections in pigs and humans. Despite global efforts, the genome of only one infective S. suis phage has been described. Here, we report the isolation of two phages that infect S. suis: Bonnie and Clyde. The phages infect 58 of 100 S. suis strains tested, including representatives of seven different serotypes and thirteen known sequence types from diverse geographical origins. Clyde suppressed bacterial growth in vitro within two multi-strain mixes designed to simulate a polyclonal S. suis infection. Both phages demonstrated stability across various temperatures and pH levels, highlighting their potential to withstand storage conditions and maintain viability in delivery formulations. Genome comparisons revealed that neither phage shares significant nucleotide identity with any cultivated phages in the NCBI database and thereby represent novel species belonging to two distinct novel genera. This study is the first to investigate the adhesion devices of S. suis infecting phages. Structure prediction and analysis of adhesion devices with AlphaFold2 revealed two distinct lineages of S. suis phages: Streptococcus thermophilus-like (Bonnie) and S. suis-like (Clyde). The structural similarities between the adhesion devices of Bonnie and S. thermophilus phages, despite the lack of nucleotide similarity and differing ecological niches, suggest a common ancestor or convergent evolution, highlighting evolutionary links between pathogenic and non-pathogenic streptococcal species. These findings provide valuable insights into the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of phages that can infect S. suis, providing new data for the therapeutic application of phages in a One Health context.
PMID:40132484 | DOI:10.1016/j.micres.2025.128147
Veterinary Care Assistant [Fixed Term]
Salary: £22,637 - £23,076 per annum (pro-rata for 0.95 FTE) plus 15% shift allowance = £26,032 - £26,537 per annum. This equates to approximately an hourly rate of £12.52 - £12.76 (£14.39 - £14.67 with 15% uplift).
Fixed Term: This post is fixed-term until 9 September 2025.
We have an exciting opportunity for someone to join us as a 24/7 Veterinary Care Assistant in our Small Animal Wing on a temporary basis. The referral hospital is a very fast-paced environment working with complex and seriously ill animals. The temporary role will begin as soon as possible from April 2025 and will continue until the 9th of September 2025.
The main objective of the role is to provide animal care to an excellent standard for the Queen's Veterinary School referral Hospital, to meet the needs of the service in the Small Animal Wing. The small animal wing consists of four dog, two cat, critical care, isolation wards housing an average of 15-25 patients during the overnight period and Theatre Suite.
You will play an important part in a primary care team working alongside nurses and other veterinary care assistants. Responsibilities will include cleaning and animal care duties in order to assist veterinary nurses in the inpatient area and in theatres.
In return, we offer an encouraging and nurturing environment and have a dedicated team of clinicians, nurses and veterinary care assistants who are committed to providing the best care for our patients.
Benefits - Generous paid annual leave including bank holidays - Defined benefit pension scheme - Enhanced family friendly policies - Access to a dedicated Personal and Professional Development team - Wellness programme including Occupational Health team and Staff counselling - Staff discount scheme including shopping vouchers - Cycle to work scheme - Travel to work loans - Eye care voucher scheme - Discounted gym membership
If you have any questions about this role please contact the Clinical HR Team by email: qvsh.hr@vet.cam.ac.uk. Please quote reference PP45440 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.
Further particulars for the role and information about the Department are available at: www.vet.cam.ac.uk
Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.
Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.
Applications will be monitored regularly, and we may contact candidates prior to the closing date. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
Closing date: 06 April 2025
Interviews will commence mid-late April 2025.
The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.
The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.
Another step towards defeating meningitis
Lancet. 2025 Mar 11:S0140-6736(25)00196-5. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00196-5. Online ahead of print.
NO ABSTRACT
PMID:40086455 | DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00196-5
Cell envelope polysaccharide modifications alter the surface properties and interactions of <em>Mycobacterium abscessus</em> with innate immune cells in a morphotype-dependent manner
mBio. 2025 Mar 14:e0032225. doi: 10.1128/mbio.00322-25. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
Mycobacterium abscessus is one of the leading causes of pulmonary infections caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria. The ability of M. abscessus to establish a chronic infection in the lung relies on a series of adaptive mutations impacting, in part, global regulators and cell envelope biosynthetic enzymes. One of the genes under strong evolutionary pressure during host adaptation is ubiA, which participates in the elaboration of the arabinan domains of two major cell envelope polysaccharides: arabinogalactan (AG) and lipoarabinomannan (LAM). We here show that patient-derived UbiA mutations not only cause alterations in the AG, LAM, and mycolic acid contents of M. abscessus but also tend to render the bacterium more prone to forming biofilms while evading uptake by innate immune cells and enhancing their pro-inflammatory properties. The fact that the effects of UbiA mutations on the physiology and pathogenicity of M. abscessus were impacted by the rough or smooth morphotype of the strain suggests that the timing of their selection relative to morphotype switching may be key to their ability to promote chronic persistence in the host.IMPORTANCEMultidrug-resistant pulmonary infections caused by Mycobacterium abscessus and subspecies are increasing in the U.S.A. and globally. Little is known of the mechanisms of pathogenicity of these microorganisms. We have identified single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a gene involved in the biosynthesis of two major cell envelope polysaccharides, arabinogalactan and lipoarabinomannan, in lung-adapted isolates from 13 patients. Introduction of these individual SNPs in a reference M. abscessus strain allowed us to study their impact on the physiology of the bacterium and its interactions with immune cells. The significance of our work is in identifying some of the mechanisms used by M. abscessus to colonize and persist in the human lung, which will facilitate the early detection of potentially more virulent clinical isolates and lead to new therapeutic strategies. Our findings may further have broader biomedical impacts, as the ubiA gene is conserved in other tuberculous and non-tuberculous mycobacterial pathogens.
PMID:40084888 | DOI:10.1128/mbio.00322-25
Infection by Clonally Related <em>Mycobacterium abscessus</em> Isolates: The Role of Drinking Water
Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2025 Mar 12. doi: 10.1164/rccm.202409-1824OC. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
RATIONALE: Mycobacterium abscessus group bacteria (MABS) cause lethal infections in people with chronic lung diseases. Transmission mechanisms remain poorly understood; the detection of dominant circulating clones (DCCs) has suggested potential for person-to-person transmission.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to determine the role of drinking water in the transmission of MABS.
METHODS: A total of 289 isolates were cultured from respiratory samples (231) and drinking water sources (58) across Queensland, Australia.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Whole genome sequences were analysed to identify DCCs and determine relatedness. Half of the isolates (144, 49·8%) clustered with previously described DCCs, of which 30 formed a clade within DCC5. Pangenomic analysis of the water-associated DCC5 clade revealed an enrichment of genes associated with copper resistance. Four instances of plausible epidemiological links were identified between genomically-related clinical and water isolates.
CONCLUSIONS: We provide evidence that drinking water is a reservoir for MABS and may be a vector in the chain of MABS infection.
PMID:40072241 | DOI:10.1164/rccm.202409-1824OC
When inflammation goes too far
Clare Bryant, Professor of Innate Immunity, is a molecular detective. Clare allows us to see how inflammation functions across species, and when our defence systems go too far.