Andrew Nguyen Rose Hills
Mapping microbiome-driven GPCR activation patterns in inflammation
G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the largest family of membrane signaling proteins in humans, mediating cellular responses to hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolites, and immune signaling molecules. GPCRs are important therapeutic targets, with nearly one-third of FDA-approved drugs acting on this receptor family. Despite their importance to human physiology, binding partners of many GPCRs have yet to be identified, which limits our understanding of how they function in health and disease.
Microbial communities in the gut produce a wide array of metabolites that influence host physiology across the body. Changes in the gut microbiome have been well-linked to disorders like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), but the molecular mechanisms connecting microbial activity and inflammation are not fully understood. In this project, I hope to connect specific receptor activity to IBD by measuring GPCR activation in cells following exposure to fecal samples from healthy subjects and IBD patients. This method may reveal a unique activation pattern across many GPCRs in IBD, which can later be used to compare against GPCR activation patterns in other chronic inflammatory diseases.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you for supporting my research! As a first-generation community college transfer from LA, navigating a career in science has been daunting. I've previously volunteered a lot of time and effort just to get the chance to train in life science laboratories, so being able to develop a research project without worrying about funding has been a huge load off of my shoulders. I hope you know how grateful I am to be a part of this fellowship!