Personalized Mapping of Drug Metabolism by the Human Gut Microbiome.

Publication Year
2020

Type

Journal Article
Abstract

The human gut microbiome harbors hundreds of bacterial species with diverse biochemical capabilities. Dozens of drugs have been shown to be metabolized by single isolates from the gut microbiome, but the extent of this phenomenon is rarely explored in the context of microbial communities. Here, we develop a quantitative experimental framework for mapping the ability of the human gut microbiome to metabolize small molecule drugs: Microbiome-Derived Metabolism (MDM)-Screen. Included are a batch culturing system for sustained growth of subject-specific gut microbial communities, an ex vivo drug metabolism screen, and targeted and untargeted functional metagenomic screens to identify microbiome-encoded genes responsible for specific metabolic events. Our framework identifies novel drug-microbiome interactions that vary between individuals and demonstrates how the gut microbiome might be used in drug development and personalized medicine.

Journal
Cell
Volume
181
Issue
7
Pages
1661-1679.e22
Date Published
2020 Jun 25
ISSN Number
1097-4172
Alternate Journal
Cell
PMCID
PMC8591631
PMID
32526207