In the not very distant past, linking the health of your gut to the health of your mind, or to various other chronic diseases, would likely be met with a huff of scepticism.
But gut health is taking its place at the top of the table. What goes on in your guts, it turns out, likely has a significant impact on aspects of health as diverse as mood and weight.
Professor Gene Tyson is a microbial ecologist at QUT’s School of Biomedical Sciences, working at the forefront of research into human microbiome – the complex and unique jungle of thousands of different types of bacteria, fungi and viruses that naturally live in and on our bodies.
It’s a hot topic and one that Professor Tyson - who has recently been elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science by profoundly advancing our understanding of microbiology - believes has the potential to revolutionise future personalised medical treatment.
He sees a future of individually prescribed blends of pre- and probiotics, and routine microbiome analysis that may reveal a person’s susceptibility to conditions from Alzheimer's, Parkinson’s, autism, anxiety and depression, to diabetes, obesity and cancer.
“We’re at the forefront of discovering the specific ways in which these organisms influence our daily lives,’’ Professor Tyson said.
“We will get to the point where a microbiome test will become as common as a blood test.
“There will be prognostic and diagnostic information that will tell you about the diseases you’re susceptible to, and diseases you have.
“For example, it’s likely that in the very near future, there’ll be a diagnostic test for colorectal cancer based on the microbiome.
“We’ll also be able to intervene with new therapies that change the microbiome in very specific ways to either help, greatly alleviate, remediate or heal certain disease states.’’
Microbes are everywhere
It’s not just about microbes in and on our bodies. Microorganisms are everywhere and control all major biological, geological and chemical cycles on Earth.
Professor Tyson’s early research career focussed on microbial growth in acid mine drainage – the outflow of acidic water from mines – helping to advance our understanding of microorganisms in an environmental context.
This research, when Professor Tyson was still a PhD student under the supervision of renowned Australian scientist Professor Jill Banfield at the University of California, showed microbial genomes could be constructed directly from environmental samples using an approach called metagenomics.
Their findings were published in the prestigious Nature journal in 2004 and were recognised by academic journal Science as one of the Breakthroughs of the Year.
Professor Tyson says working with Professor Banfield showed him the huge potential of research in this field.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, like the stars aligned,’’ he said.
“I saw how the application of this new approach could open the door to our understanding of microbial life. Because up until that point, really, we were limited in what we could tell about these microbial communities.’’
From permafrost to the Great Barrier Reef
Professor Tyson has since pioneered new methods for studying microorganisms in diverse clinical and environmental settings – from thawing permafrost in northern Sweden, to the corals of the Great Barrier Reef. He has discovered “completely novel lineages’’ and critical insights into the role of microorganisms, including their role in the global carbon cycle, and how they might improve human and environmental health.
He is now a globally recognised authority on complex microbial communities, authoring more than 148 peer-reviewed scientific papers and five book chapters and is in the top one percent of cited researchers in his field globally.
He has helped secure more than $60 million from domestic and international grant schemes since 2006 and was awarded $3.3 million for the prestigious Australian Research Council 2023 Laureate Fellowship.
In 2023, he was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology that recognises excellence, originality, service and leadership in the field of microbial sciences.
Unlocking the potential of the human microbiome
In recent years, his attention has turned to the human microbiome, co-founding the human gut microbiome analysis company Microba Life Sciences in 2018, before establishing the Centre for Microbiome Research (CMR) at QUT in 2020.
Professor Tyson says Microba offers personalised reports of a person’s unique gut microbiome, showing the overall diversity of their microbiome and the abundance of each microorganism, as well as dietary suggestions to promote a healthy gut.
Microbiome testing is an emerging field but demand for this information is growing, with Microba so far conducting “tens of thousands’’ of tests.
“In the general public, it’s becoming more well accepted. It’s been a really big change over the past seven or so years,’’ Professor Tyson said.
“There are some really forward-thinking clinicians but there are others who want to see more evidence. And that’s natural, and the evidence is coming. There are some 500 papers published per month on the human microbiome. There’s a ton of research going on.’’
To support this research, his team at CMR is currently building a comprehensive Australian Human Microbiome Biobank of gut, skin, oral and vaginal microorganisms as a unique resource to “develop new therapies for various disease states based on microbiome’’.
Run Gene run
As the middle child of three - with younger brother Allen and older sister Briana - Professor Tyson was born in Cairns, in far north Queensland.
The family lived in Cairns and Townsville until he was five years old when they moved to Wellington Point, southeast of Brisbane. Here he attended Wellington Point State School, then Iona College, until his parents moved to Papua New Guinea for his father’s work.
Professor Tyson boarded at Brisbane Grammar School for his senior grades and he and his siblings holidayed in PNG every school break, enjoying fishing, waterskiing and wakeboarding and spending time with other expat families.
He graduated from high school with the intention of studying medicine. But after sitting and “just missing out’’ in the Graduated Medical School Admissions Test (GAMSAT), he reevaluated his future, deciding it was science he really enjoyed.
He is now based at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) - a partnership between QUT, The University of Queensland, Queensland Health and Mater Research - in Woolloongabba.
It’s also home to Gene Tyson’s Running Club - a small group of his coworkers who enjoy an afternoon run every Wednesday, with the club's logo displayed around the office space.
“Running is the one thing I can do that exhausts me so much that I don’t think about anything,’’ Professor Tyson said.
“I can just listen to music and run for 50-odd minutes.’’
Probiotics: a work in progress
Know your microbiome
Gut microbiome is in a constant state of change and can be impacted by many factors, including changes in exercise habits, eating new foods and taking medications. Foods can affect your gut in different ways.
Prebiotics: Types of fibre that feed your gut bacteria and promote growth of beneficial organisms and a healthier digestive system. Prebiotic foods include garlic, onion, apple, leek, asparagus, bananas, barley, oats, wheat bran and seaweed.
Probiotics: Foods or supplements that contain live microorganisms that promote the good bacteria and improve the gut microbiota. Foods containing probiotics include fermented foods such as yoghurt, kefir and sauerkraut.
Synbiotics: Products that contain both prebiotics and probiotics.
Professor Tyson loves talking about the microbiome and it’s just as well because he is often drawn into conversations about guts and bacteria and probiotics just about everywhere he goes.
An innocent, ‘What do you do for a job?’ at a weekend barbecue will usually kickstart a lively conversation about the bowel and the benefits, or otherwise, of taking probiotic supplements, eating fermented foods, and perhaps what is the best treatment for irritable bowel syndrome.
For the record, Professor Tyson does not take probiotics. The large majority of probiotics currently on the market, he says, don’t have enough evidence that they will offer a benefit to your average consumer.
“But there are some coming that look very promising, have good scientific backing and could be beneficial,’’ he said.
“In the future, we’ll see very specific, personalised probiotic combinations that are given to people to help treat their diseases or maintain wellbeing.’’
While gut microbiome might not the most palatable Sunday lunchtime topic, it’s a subject he enjoys.
“I love talking about it and I love getting people interested in it,’’ he said.
“We’re in our infancy of truly understanding the gut microbiome and its impact on us, and new discoveries are being made all the time.
“I see a lot of people overselling it…but I want good science to derive our understanding.
“I want to see the importance of the microbiome truly become recognised, and see therapies developed. I just really want to make an impact.’’
Participate in research on the trillions of microorganisms that make up the human microbiome by donating samples to the Australian Human Microbiome Biobank.
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