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MIcrobial MEtabolite Signal Transduction
MIMEst (Ara's Lab)
Open positions
Join Our MIMEst!
We are currently seeking highly motivated individuals for Ph.D. and Postdoctoral positions in bioinformatics. If you're passionate about microbiome research and computational biology, please reach out to us at ara.koh@postech.ac.kr with your CV.
Research Interests
It is becoming evident that microbiota can directly signal to the host by generating bioactive metabolites, which would contribute to the development (i.e., imidazole propionate) or amelioration of metabolic diseases (i.e., short-chain fatty acids). In our lab, we aim to identify therapeutics for metabolic diseases including diabetes and cancer based on mechanistic understanding of the role of microbial metabolites. In addition, we will investigate inter-individual variations or failure in drug response in the context of microbial metabolite milieu by using organoids as a model system.
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Mechanistic Understanding of the Impacts of Microbial Metabolites on Personalized Responses to Metabolic Intervention
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Understanding the Impacts of Microbial Regulation of Small Intestine in Host Metabolism by Using Intestinal Organoids
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Development of Personalized POST-Biotics based on Microbial Metabolites
Better and Safer Therapeutics for Human Diseases Based on Mechanistic Understanding of the Role of Microbial Metabolites
Selected Publications
Microbial Imidazole propionate Affects Responses to Metformin through p38g-Dependent Inhibitory AMPK Phosphorylation
Cell Metabolism. 2020. 10.06
From Association to Causality: the Role of the Gut Microbiota and Its Functional Products on Host Metabolism
Molecular Cell. 2020. 05. 21
Microbially Produced Imidazole Propionate Impairs Insulin Signaling through mTORC1
Cell. 2018.11.01
From Dietary Fiber to Host Physiology: Short-Chain Fatty Acids as Key Bacterial Metabolites
Cell. 2016. 06. 02
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