Bowel Research UK is funding four research grants as part of its first microbiome research round, allocating more than £330,000 to teams in Birmingham, London, Edinburgh and Liverpool.
The gut microbiome is the collection of bacteria, fungi and viruses living in our digestive system. Research has shown that having a healthy gut microbiome has positive effects on many aspects of health – from helping maintain a healthy weight and mental health to reducing the risk of bowel cancer and managing symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. However, it is still an under-researched area.
Bowel cancer rates are rising in adults under 50 globally. Experts believe this is due to changes in diet and lifestyle in countries where these trends are seen, such as the increased use of antibiotics and reduced dietary fibre intake. These affect the gut microbiome and are thought to increase the risk of bowel cancer.
The four research projects are:
- Understanding how the gut microbiome affects the response bowel cancer patients have to treatment and their recovery, led by Mr Ahsan Javed at the University of Liverpool.
- Investigating whether faecal microbiota transplants (FMT, or poo transplants) delivered as a capsule can help people with inflammatory bowel disease manage their symptoms, led by Dr James Alexander at Imperial College London and St Mark’s Hospital, London.
- Analysing the contents of FMT, how it changes as it is made into its medicinal form and the impact this has on its effectiveness in treating disease, led by Dr Richard Horniblow at the University of Birmingham.
- Investigating how bacteria feed on dead cells and how this contributes to the development of gut wall damage and disease, led by Dr CJ Anderson at the University of Edinburgh.
This is the first time Bowel Research UK has dedicated a grants round to one research area. A fundraising campaign for the grants round was launched at the charity’s gold award-winning RHS Chelsea Flower Show microbiome garden in May 2024, which explored the connection between a healthy landscape and soil, a healthy gut, and a healthy mind.
Lindsay Easton, Chief Executive of Bowel Research UK, said: “Our research funding focuses on early career researchers – those starting their research careers who will bring new ideas to ongoing challenges. We saw a particularly high quality of applications for this grant round, and we’re excited to be backing the microbiome experts of the future who will, no doubt, shape the way bowel cancer and bowel disease is diagnosed and treated.”
Dr James Kinross, Bowel Research UK’s microbiome clinical expert who led the scientific committee assessing the grant applications, said: “Ten years ago, research on the gut microbiome was seen as in its infancy and, despite it now being a hot topic in discussion around diet and its impact on health, it is still under-funded. These four research grants will make a huge difference in enhancing our understanding of the gut microbiome and will have a positive impact on patients in the future.”
ENDS
For media enquiries, please contact Rachel Gonzaga, Bowel Research UK’s Communications Consultant, on press@bowelresearchuk.org.
Notes to editors:
About Bowel Research UK
Bowel Research UK is funding life-changing research into bowel cancer and other bowel diseases. Every year over 16,000 people die from bowel cancer in the UK and over a million suffer from bowel disease. By researching cutting edge treatments and investing in the best science, we’re saving and improving people’s lives We’re the UK’s leading specialist bowel cancer and bowel disease research charity and our research is saving and improving lives. https://www.bowelresearchuk.org/
About The Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR) at the University of Edinburgh
The Institute for Regeneration and Repair (IRR) is a research institute based at the University of Edinburgh. Our scientists and clinicians study stem cell biology, inflammation and disease to advance human health and reproductive outcomes.
To find out more, please visit our website: Institute for Regeneration and Repair | Institute for Regeneration and Repair
About St Mark’s Hospital Foundation & Academic Institute
St Mark’s Hospital Foundation supports research, education and innovation at the St Mark’s, the National Bowel Hospital. We provide clinical expertise, consented patients, and funded research fellows to contribute to bowel disease research collaborations across the UK and globally. We focus on early diagnosis of Inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and other gastrointestinal diseases, stratifying risk for improved screening and treatment pathways and innovations in surgical and endoscopy procedure. In all areas of our research, we are committed to drive clinical improvements for patients living with complex bowel disease. https://www.stmarkshospitalfoundation.org.uk/, https://www.stmarkshospital.nhs.uk/
About Imperial College London:
We are Imperial – a world-leading university for science, technology, engineering, medicine and business (STEMB), where scientific imagination leads to world-changing impact.
As a global top ten university in London, we use science to try to understand more of the universe and improve the lives of more people in it. Across our nine campuses and throughout our Imperial Global network, our 22,000 students, 8,000 staff, and partners work together on scientific discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. Their work navigates some of the world’s toughest challenges in global health, climate change, AI, business leadership and more.
Founded in 1907, Imperial’s future builds on a distinguished past, having pioneered penicillin, holography and fibre optics. Today, Imperial combines exceptional teaching, world-class facilities and a habit of interdisciplinary practice to unlock scientific imagination.
About the University of Liverpool
Founded in 1881 as the original ‘red brick’, the University of Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading research-intensive higher education institutions with an annual turnover of £675.1 million, including an annual research income of £160.6 million.
Consistently ranked in the top 200 universities worldwide, we are a member of the prestigious Russell Group of the UK’s leading research universities and have a global reach and influence that reflects our academic heritage as one of the country’s largest civic institutions.
The latest UK rankings of circa 130 institutions have placed the University of Liverpool at 23rd (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025), 27th (2025 Guardian University Guide), 25th (Daily Mail University Guide 2025) and 19th (2025 Complete University Guide) nationally.