In The News
-
Biology Undergrad Honors Research
Our star undergrad researchers will present their work in the Biology Undergraduate Honors Research Symposium
-
Happy Chinese New Year 2022!
Yunan Hu, Nutrition Master student, in celebration of the New Year!
-
How Fermented Foods Feed a Healthy Gut Microbiota
A Nutrition Continuum Editors: Azcarate-Peril, M. Andrea, Arnold, Roland R., Bruno-Bárcena, José M. (Eds.) Compares traditional forms of food preparation with current industrial techniques in terms of the potential loss of microbial diversity associated with industrialization.
Meet the Director

Dr. M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril
Director
M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril, Ph. D. is Associate Professor of Medicine in the School of Medicine at UNC Chapel Hill. Dr. Azcarate-Peril currently conducts research in modulation of the host-associated microbiota by prebiotics and probiotics. She has extensive experience in physiology and functional genomics of probiotic strains. Dr. Azcarate-Peril uses molecular biology, genomics, and next-generation sequencing tools to address questions relevant to the role of the intestinal microbiota in human health and disease.
The North Carolina Microbiome Consortium
Mission and Goals
The North Carolina Microbiome Consortium provides the opportunity for interested and committed participants in academia, industry and the public to seek and share knowledge concerning the science of the microbiome. It seeks to foster interdisciplinary connections among scientists in diverse fields who share a common interest in microbial communities and with those who develop the tools needed to study and understand these communities. By coming together in this common pursuit of knowledge and the exchange of ideas, participants acknowledge the depth of local expertise; seek to establish North Carolina as a recognized leader in microbiome research and innovation, and aim to create greater opportunities for microbiome research and related industries in the state.
Research
Beneficial Modulators of the Gut Microbiota
The overall goal of my research is to investigate the impact and mechanisms involved in the beneficial modulation of the gut microbiota by prebiotics (functional foods that stimulate growth of gut native beneficial bacteria) and probiotics (live bacteria that benefit their host). I specifically aim to develop prebiotic and probiotic interventions as alternatives to traditional treatments for microbiota-health related conditions, and to advance microbiota-based health surveillance methods.
Marsh, Alan J, Yaya, Al-Mounawara A, Ng, Sandy, Chandrashekhar, Kshipra, Roach, Jeff, Magness, Scott T, Azcarate-Peril, M Andrea. (2020) Lumen and mucosa-associated Lactobacillus rhamnosus from the intestinal tract of organ donors. Gut Microbiome, Volume 1, 2020, e4, Cambridge University Press. | |
Chey, William, Sandborn, William, Ritter, Andrew J, Foyt, Howard, Azcarate-Peril, M Andrea, Savaiano, Dennis A. (2020) Galacto-Oligosaccharide RP-G28 Improves Multiple Clinical Outcomes in Lactose-Intolerant Patients. 2020 Apr 10;12(4):1058. doi: 10.3390/nu12041058. | |
Arnold, Jason W, Roach, Jeffery, Fabela, Salvador, Moorfield, Emily, Ding, Shengli, Blue, Eric, Dagher, Suzanne, Magness, Scott, Tamayo, Rita, Bruno-Barcena, Jose M., Azcarate-Peril, M Andrea. (2020) The pleiotropic effects of prebiotic galacto-oligosaccharides on the aging gut. doi:10.21203/rs.2.24333/v1. |