My project
Identification of hydrogen sulphide producing gut bacteria implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (GUT-MS-H2S)
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating, inflammatory disorder of the central nervous system. Despite decades of research, the exact aetiological factors of MS and treatment guidelines have not adequately been defined. Various studies implicate gut inflammation, induced by a neurotoxic bacterial metabolite, hydrogen sulphide (H2S), in the pathogenesis of MS. However, the specific gut bacteria and their enzymatic machinery, involved in the production of H2S in situ have not been characterised. This project aims to identify these gut bacteria and their H2S-producing enzymes. Moreover, increased gut H2S levels are correlated with a reduction in butyrate (a neuroprotectant) production by gut microbiota. Hence, we also intend to measure the levels of these two microbiota-derived metabolites (H2S and butyrate) in the MS-specific brain and faeces. This integrative project, involving meta-transcriptomics, metabolomics, protein characterization, and MR spectroscopy, will provide prospective biomarkers for MA pathogenesis and prospective therapeutic targets for MS treatment/prevention.
My publications
My events and conferences
Micobiome: From Benchtop to Bedside- November 2024
European Researchers’ Night 2025: Barcelona, Spain
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