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Q&A with Dr. Shijie Cao: Leveraging the Therapeutic Potential of the Gut Microbiome

December 17, 2024

Dr. Shijie Cao of the University of Washington aims to take advantage of the connection between our gut microbiome and immune responses to develop new treatments for conditions like neuroinflammation.

Shijie Cao, PhD, grew up reading science fiction novels and dreaming of becoming a scientist and making a difference in the world. Now an assistant professor at the University of Washington, he is studying the connection between our gut microbiome and immune responses to develop new treatments for conditions like neuroinflammation.

The gut microbiome is the community of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other organisms that live in our intestines. As part of digestion, beneficial gut bacteria produce small molecules such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which have anti-inflammatory properties.

Cao received a 2024 PhRMA Foundation Faculty Starter Grant in Drug Delivery for his research to leverage the therapeutic potential of these molecules by developing a next-generation platform to deliver SCFAs to different sites of the body to inhibit inflammation in a controlled manner. This platform could pave the way for new treatment approaches for neuroinflammation and enhance understanding of the microbiome-gut-brain axis.

Watch this video to learn more about Cao and his research.

 

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