Research Summary
Dr. Jeremy Wang, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor in the Genetics Department. With support from NIH/NIDDK and the CGIBD, Dr. Wang’s research focuses on the role of the adherent gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel diseases. He has developed and applied novel metagenomic sequencing technologies to characterize the taxonomic and functional composition of mucosally-associated microbial communities in mouse models of colitis. Using a combination of technologies including adaptive nanopore sequencing to deplete host DNA from tissue-associated samples, and full-length rRNA amplicon sequencing, Dr. Wang’s lab has demonstrated dramatically improved taxonomic specificity and greater sampling depth of complex host-associated metagenomic communities than is possible with commonly used approaches. Ongoing areas of research in the Wang lab include mapping temporal and spatial dynamics of colonization of the mucosal barrier by adherent-invasive E. coli; genomic epidemiology of bacterial and viral intestinal pathogens; and exploring the contribution of mucosa-associated microbiome to Crohn’s disease using host-depleted metagenomic sequencing.
Relevance of Research to CGIBD Mission: Dr. Wang’s work characterizing the gut metagenome and microbial genomics associated with inflammation and infectious disease aligns well with the CGIBD’s mission. He collaborates with several other CGIBD members, providing metagenomics and bioinformatics expertise in support of other basic and translational projects within the CGIBD’s focus areas.
CGIBD Focus Area(s): Microbiome
Collaborators: Sartor, Sheikh, Furey, Arthur, Bhatt, Andermann
