Kun Lu, PhD

Research Summary

Kun Lu has extensive experience in gut microbiome, metabolomics profiling, DNA sequencing, and biomarker development. His current research focus interrogates how human disease and exposure interact with the gut micoribome. He has developed and protein/DNA adducts as novel and sensitive biomarkers to evaluate health effects of different environmental chemicals. His lab first discovered that exposure to environmental toxins, such as organophosphate pesticides and arsenic, perturbed the gut microbiome community and its associated functions. Moreover, the lab demonstrated that gut microbiome phenotypes significantly influence toxicological responses to environmental exposure. They have also shown that sex plays a role in gut microbiome response and host toxicity to environmental chemicals. Finally, he has shown the effects of gut microflora on blood metabolites in animals and patients with chronic inflammation. They have demonstrated a variety of altered gut microflora-regulated metabolites and metabolic pathways that have implications for our understanding of the role of gut microbiome on host metabolism in the setting of chronic inflammation.

Relevance of Research to CGIBD Mission:  Kun Lu studies host microbe interaction which is a major theme of the CGIBD.

CGIBD Focus Area(s):  Microbiome