Overview

Colonic adenomatous polyps are common tumors occurring in approximately 50% of Western populations with a close to 10% risk of malignant progression. The environmental exposures that have been proposed to-date, to promote the development of colorectal cancer, have been primarily dietary agents. However, the local environment to which the colonic mucosa is exposed is created by the bacterial microbiota of the colon and their metabolic products that include toxins. Using a combination of 16S rRNA gene based surveys and metagenomics, we are investigating colonic microbiota in adenoma patients and healthy individuals, to identify microbial biomarkers associated with adenoma development.

Funding

Howard University and J. Craig Venter Institute

Shibu Yooseph

Hassan Brim and
Hassan Ashktorab
Howard University

Histopathologic image of colonic carcinoid stained by hematoxylin and eosin.

Image: Wikipedia