Our microbiome plays a vital role in maintaining good health. It modulates our immune system and brokers our responses to different drugs and vaccines. Disruptions to the microbiome can lead to serious illnesses, including certain cancers.
Combining UCLA’s expertise in gut microbiome and immunology research, the Microbiome Vaccine Program (MVP) was established this year to create targeted treatments that modulate the gut microbiome in a way that boosts the immune system and keeps cancer-promoting gut bacteria at bay.
The MPV is a joint initiative of the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy and the UCLA Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, led by integrative biology and physiology professor Elaine Hsiao.
We’re excited to be a part of this interdisciplinary collaboration that will train the next generation of scientists and accelerate the development of microbiome-based treatments to reduce the burden of gastrointestinal cancers.
Read more about the program’s research, goals and strengths, in this UCLA Health article.