ISB researchers examined representative organisms of two classes of microbes whose interaction contributes to the conversion of more than 1 gigaton of carbon into methane every year. They found that gene mutations selected over a relatively short timeframe in the two microbes led to distinct functions. The post How Microbes Evolve to Spatially Divide and Conquer an Environment  appeared first on Institute for Systems Biology ..read more

Dr. Sean Gibbons, left, and Johannes Johnson-Martinez are authors of a paper published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine suggesting bowel movement frequency is linked to long-term health. Everybody poops, but not every day. New research by the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) suggests bowel movement frequency is linked to long-term health.  An ISB-led research team examined the clinical, lifestyle, and multi-omic data of more than 1,400 healthy adults. How often people poop, they found, can have a large influence on one’s physiology and health. Their findings were publis ..read more

  Wei Wei, PhD, joined ISB in 2018 as Assistant Professor. He was recently promoted to Associate Professor. Wei Wei, PhD – an accomplished cancer researcher with expertise in biotechnology and cancer systems biology – has been promoted to ISB associate professor.  Wei joined ISB as an assistant professor in 2018. His lab focuses on understanding how cancer cells adapt to therapeutic treatment to foster therapy resistance by coordinating their internal molecular machinery and how these adaptive changes evolve within diverse tumors influenced by the tumor microenvironment ..read more

ISB Director, SVP and Professor Dr. Nitin Baliga, left, and Research Scientist Dr. James Park. Glioblastoma, known as GBM, is one of the deadliest and most aggressive forms of primary brain cancer in adults and is known for its ability to resist treatment and to recur.  Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) researchers and their colleagues have made breakthrough discoveries in understanding the mechanisms behind acquired resistance, focusing on a rare and stubborn group of cells within tumors called glioma stem-like cells (GSCs). Their findings were published in the journal Science Advanc ..read more

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are beneficial molecules created by the bacteria residing in our gut that are closely tied to improved host metabolism, lower systemic inflammation, better cardiovascular health, lower cancer risk, and more. However, SCFA profiles can vary widely between individuals consuming the same exact diet and we currently lack tools for predicting this inter-individual variation. ISB researchers have developed a novel way to simulate personalized, microbiome-mediated responses to diet. They use a microbial community-scale metabolic modeling (MCMM) approach to predict indi ..read more

The post ISB-Town Hall Seattle Event: Hack Your Health appeared first on Institute for Systems Biology ..read more

Each month throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, we will highlight some of the top projects the ISB Education team is working on. May Lincoln High School Genome Sciences Club visits ISB  Danielle Vermaak with the Genome Sciences Club at Lincoln High School brought 24 students to visit and tour ISB this month. Lincoln High students enjoyed touring the various labs with scientists from a variety of projects and specialities. Several students applied to ISB’s SEE “Systems Thinkers in STEM” Ambassador program and High School Internship. ‘Systems Medicine’ in high school and beyond As part o ..read more

Dr. Ilya Shumlevich in front of his office door at ISB in November 2023. (Scott Eklund/Redbox Photography) Devoted husband and father. Animal lover. Accomplished pianist. Avid cyclist. Compassionate human. Exceptional scientist. The ISB community mourns the loss of Professor Ilya Shmulevich, PhD, who died on April 13, 2024, from complications from acute myeloid leukemia. He was 54 years old. “Ilya’s impact on his lab, fellow faculty, ISB as a whole, and all who had the pleasure of knowing him cannot be adequately expressed. Ilya was an outstanding scientist, mentor, colleague, collaborator ..read more

ISB Associate Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons delivered a Research Roundtable presentation and highlighted human gut microbiome research being conducted in his lab, including the development of a new tool called My Digital Gut. Watch his presentation by clicking play on the video above.  The human microbiome – the trillions of microbial cells that live on and in our bodies – is unique to everyone. Even identical twins have microbiome compositions that differ widely.  ISB Associate Professor Dr. Sean Gibbons has spent the past few years looking at how individuals respond differen ..read more

Each month throughout the 2023-2024 academic year, we will highlight some of the top projects the ISB Education team is working on. April Presented SEE’s classroom resources at the WA Climate Education Summit  ISB Educators Barb Steffens, Claudia Ludwig, and Sarah Clemente traveled to Spokane, Wash., for ClimeTime’s second annual Climate Education Summit. This year’s summit brought more than 100 educators from around Washington state to the Northeast Washington Educational Service District. First, Claudia hosted a table that served a constant stream of teachers, with curricular resources ..read more