Peter Turnbaugh, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
G.W. Hooper Research Foundation
Peter.Turnbaugh@ucsf.edu
+1 415 502-3237

You are not alone - humans are each home to trillions of microbes that have a widespread impact on our physiology and predisposition to disease. Our lab studies the role of these microbes in two major areas, pharmacology and nutrition, with a current focus on the role of gut microbial metabolism in influencing the predisposition to and treatment of heart disease, cancer, and autoimmune disease. Our main two experimental approaches are gnotobiotics (germ-free and colonized mice) and metagenomics (culture-independent methods for studying microbial communities). We collaborate closely with other members of the rich UCSF microbiome community, including Michael Fischbach, Susan Lynch, and Katie Pollard.

Primary Thematic Area: 
Virology & Microbial Pathogenesis
Secondary Thematic Area: 
Immunology
Research Summary: 
Impact of the human gut microbiome on pharmacology and nutrition

Websites

Featured Publications: 

Diet rapidly and reproducibly alters the human gut microbiome.

Nature

David LA, Maurice CF, Carmody RN, Gootenberg DB, Button JE, Wolfe BE, Ling AV, Devlin AS, Varma Y, Fischbach MA, Biddinger SB, Dutton RJ, Turnbaugh PJ

Predicting and manipulating cardiac drug inactivation by the human gut bacterium Eggerthella lenta.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

Haiser HJ, Gootenberg DB, Chatman K, Sirasani G, Balskus EP, Turnbaugh PJ

The effect of diet on the human gut microbiome: a metagenomic analysis in humanized gnotobiotic mice.

Science translational medicine

Turnbaugh PJ, Ridaura VK, Faith JJ, Rey FE, Knight R, Gordon JI

A core gut microbiome in obese and lean twins.

Nature

Turnbaugh PJ, Hamady M, Yatsunenko T, Cantarel BL, Duncan A, Ley RE, Sogin ML, Jones WJ, Roe BA, Affourtit JP, Egholm M, Henrissat B, Heath AC, Knight R, Gordon JI