July 2024: Algavi & Borenstein: A new metric for predicting newly colonized microbial population in the microbiome after fecal transplant

Fecal microbiome transplant (FMT) is a procedure where a fecal microbiome sample from a healthy donor is delivered to a patient (e.g., via colonoscopy), in the hope that the newly colonized microbial population will eradicate pathogenic species, modulate the immune system, and improve disease symptoms. While FMT shows promising results in various diseases, the principles that govern microbial community dynamics following FMT are still not clear, hindering efforts to optimize patients outcomes.

To better understand these dynamics, Yadid Algavi, MD-PhD student (Borenstein lab, Medicine & Computer Science) developed a novel and rigorous statistical methodology for pinpointing dependencies between taxa during colonization of the human gastrointestinal habitat. He applied this method to a collection of 8 FMT clinical trials with a total of over 220 participants, and identified numerous pairwise dependencies between co-colonizing microbes. He further demonstrated that identified dependencies agree with previously reported findings from in-vitro experiments and population-wide distribution patterns. Finally, he characterized the web of metabolic dependencies between these taxa and identified functional drivers of effective colonization.

Combined, the findings of this study, published in Nature Communications, provide insights into the principles and determinants of community dynamics following FMT, informing potential opportunities for precise treatment design. 

The study was featured in the online newspaper Doctors-Only.