Lunken Lab

Research

Areas Of Research

Personalised Nutrition Therapies

Dietary Fibre and Food Additives

Gut Microbiome

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

MBRA System

Research Projects

The effect of dietary modulation on fungal communities in the gastrointestinal tract
We plan to determine whether various dietary components, including food additives, dietary fibres, and polyphenolics, impact the composition and functional capacity of the mycobiome (fungi) in healthy individuals and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Diet has a profound impact on the gut microbiome (collection of microorganisms in the gut), however, the vast majority of research to date only focuses on the modulating capacity of diet in the context of the gut bacteria. Additional research is therefore needed to elucidate the impact diet has on shaping the fungal community within the gut. This is particularly important as recent research has established that the mycobiome is likely implicated in the development and management of immune-mediated conditions such as IBD.
The MBRA system: multiple mini-reactors used to simulate gut microbial environments
The MBRA (Mini Bio-Reactor Array) is an advanced laboratory system designed to study the human gut microbiota – community of microorganisms living in the digestive tract, including bacteria and fungi – in a highly controlled and reproducible manner. Often described as an “artificial gut in the lab” the MBRA system enables researchers to grow and monitor an individual’s gut microbiota outside the body. Unlike traditional approaches, which provide only single time-point snapshots of the gut microbiota, the MBRA system allows for continuous observation of how microbial communities change over time. Each reactor within the system can be independently controlled, allowing researchers to test multiple conditions simultaneously – such as different drugs, nutrients,(i.e., fibres, polyphenols, food additives, tryptophan) or probiotics – while maintaining consistency across experiments. This makes the MBRA system a powerful tool for understanding how diet and other interventions may shape the gut microbiota and influence health. Please click the link for more information.
OPTIMIST (Optimizing IBD Patient Treatment with Integrated Microbiome Investigation for Specialized Therapeutic)
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract, with increasing incidence attributed to genetic, environmental, and dietary factors, and interactions between the immune system and gut microbiome. Dysbiosis, characterized by reduced bacterial diversity and increased pro-inflammatory bacterial taxa, is observed in IBD patients, with microbiome alterations differing by disease subtype and phase. This study aims to evaluate microbiome profiles, including the bacteriome and mycobiome in various sample types from adult patients with Crohn’s disease in British Columbia, Canada, to investigate microbial signatures predictive of response to advanced IBD therapies.

Interested in helping advance gut health, microbiome, and nutrition research?

Your contribution helps fund gut health, microbiome, and nutrition studies, support participant recruitment, laboratory analyses, and drive the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for people with various gut conditions. Every contribution makes a meaningful impact.

Support Our Research

Publications

Filter By