Ian Carroll, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Nutrition
UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Research Summary

Ian Carroll conducts research to determine the mechanisms through which the intestinal microbiota or its metabolites influence gastrointestinal physiology, behavior, and adiposity/weight regulation with a view to developing novel nutritional-based therapies for disease. He has used molecular techniques to characterize the intestinal microbiota in humans and mouse models of intestinal diseases. His laboratory has developed and validated techniques to collect and store human and murine biological samples for microbiological analyses. His lab has shown the ability to accurately characterize the intestinal microbiota in human and murine biological samples and analyze the resulting data in an accurate manner using the Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Evolution (QIIME) pipeline. Research activities include: (i) directing collection and storage of human and murine fecal material in an appropriate manner for analyzing the intestinal microbiota; (ii) colonizing germ-free mice with enteric microbes from human patients or mice; (iii) isolating fecal DNA and subsequent characterization of the intestinal microbiota via high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene; and (iv) analysis of enteric microbiota data with respect to clinical variables such as: adiposity, behavior, intestinal inflammation, intestinal permeability, and psychological stress data.

Relevance of Research to CGIBD Mission:  Dr. Carroll .investigates the mechanisms by which gut bacteria influence gastrointestinal physiology, behavior, and weight regulation. He is has collaborated with a number of the other members of the CGIBD Microbiome group and relies heavily on Gnotobiotic Core.

CGIBD Focus Area(s):  Microbiome

CGIBD Pilot and Feasibility Award 2012

Collaborators:  Azcarate, Fodor, Gulati, Hansen, Miao, Sartor, Rawls, Tamayo