Have you heard of the gut microbiome? Our survey last year revealed that nearly half of people in the UK hadn’t, yet it’s fast becoming an exciting and wide-ranging area of research.
Our gold award-winning garden at RHS Chelsea Flower Show explored the fascinating connection between a healthy landscape and soil, a healthy gut, and a healthy mind, and that’s when we launched our campaign to raise £250,000 for gut microbiome research. Fast-forward nearly a year, and we’re ready to review applications for our first ever microbiome grants round.
What is the gut microbiome?
In your gut right now, there are trillions of tiny organisms at work, influencing how you feel, how you sleep and even the diseases you might get in the future.
The gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses living in our digestive system. Research has shown that it plays a part in many different conditions, and so it could offer new ways to treat diseases.
Microbiome research
It is a fast-growing but still under-researched area. Nine years ago, when Bowel Research UK funded its first project on the gut microbiome, research on this topic was seen as in its infancy. Since then, we’ve funded work to understand whether it can help tailor bowel cancer treatment, whether it can be used to manage symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, among other projects which you can read about here.
What’s next?
Having backed some of the world’s leading researchers in this field, we’re now excited to be funding microbiome experts of the future.
Applications for our microbiome grants closed in September, and submissions have been going through a peer review process. This ensures that the money donated by our supporters is used only for the highest quality research. Our panel of scientists will soon be reviewing these submissions to select those that will make the biggest impact.
Make sure you’re following us on social media for the latest updates and announcements on our new microbiome researchers.
Get involved
It’s not too late to contribute to this important area of research – the more money we raise, the more research we can fund. Find out more about our appeal and donate here.