The American Gastroenterological Association creates its Gut Microbiome Research and Education Center

As it has been mentioned since the beginning of our blog, gut microbiota is increasingly raising more interest both from experts and society as a whole. Although some projects have been completed, there are others on the way. The good news right now comes from the United States, as the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), co-organiser of the 2nd Gut Microbiota for Health Summit in Madrid last February, has announced the creation of the Gut Microbiome Research and Education Center which has the mission “to advance research and education on the gut microbiome in human health and disease”.

“The gut microbiome is among the most exciting and promising areas of research today. As gastroenterologists, we are in an excellent position to perform gut microbiome research and translate basic discoveries into new methods to maintain and improve the health of our patients,” said Prof. Loren Laine, president of the AGA Institute. “The gut microbiome offers a myriad of possibilities to GI basic and translational researchers, clinicians and patients.”

A scientific advisory board has been convened comprising world leaders in different disciplines related to this field. They will be providing guidance on gut microbiome-related issues and will also be making strategic recommendations to the AGA Governing Board. Prof. Gary Wu from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine will be in charge of this scientific advisory board. “This is an incredibly exciting time in science, where technological advances provide an unprecedented opportunity to explore not only the composition, but also the function of the microbial communities that live in our intestinal tract. It is hoped that the knowledge gained will provide new insights into disease pathogenesis and innovative therapeutic modalities,” Prof. Wu said.

We are excited to hear this piece of news and wish the AGA center the best of luck. We will be keeping an eye on their discoveries and activities, in order to share them with you. You can follow AGA on Twitter (@AmerGastroAssn) and become a fan on Facebook.