Suzanne Devkota named director of new Human Microbiome Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai

The Cedars-Sinai medical center has established a new Human Microbiome Research Institute and named Suzanne Devkota, Associate Professor for Gastroenterology and Branco Weiss Alumna, its inaugural director. The new institute will support investigators studying how the microbiome, the diverse collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses that live in and on the human body, plays a role in health. Under the leadership of Dr. Devkota, the institute will prioritize research into how the microbiome is involved in gastrointestinal diseases, cancer, metabolism, autoimmunity and early childhood development. “The Cedars-Sinai Human Microbiome Research Institute aims to reduce the barriers to entry for investigators who wish to explore the microbiome in their translational studies,” Devkota is quoted on the Cedars-Sinai website. “Most research in this area has largely consisted of studies reporting associations between microbiome changes and development of disease in patients. The new institute will enable deeper research into how microbiota may cause or prevent illness, with the goal of aiding the development of new treatments.”

Read the news on the Cedars-Sinai website

See the Human Microbiome Research Institute website