Posted 3 March 2025
Hippocrates, around 400 BC, recognised that “all diseases begin in the gut”. The gut microbiome is the collection of trillions of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other single cells in the gut. It is the key to good health, and the source of disease.
Fast forward to 2025 and an experienced team of clinicians, health professionals, and scientists dedicated to improving the outcomes of people who suffer from gut disorders, including Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD) such as Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, has opened a new microbiome lab.
Most labs build up slowly but ours is different said co-director, gastroenterologist, Professor Michael Kamm.
“We’ve been conducting studies over the last 15 years and have collected millions of pieces of information about the patients and the healthy people we’re studying.
“We’ve also collected and stored biologic samples in deeply frozen conditions. We’re ready to go with very intense studies and can forgo the years of lag time that it usually takes to assemble the fuel for such a laboratory,” said Michael.
Inflammatory bowel diseases are chronic, disabling conditions affecting the intestinal tract. Australia has the one of the highest incidences of Crohn’s disease in the western world. Because of its onset in younger age groups, Crohn’s Disease is a major cause of morbidity, and impaired quality of life. Many of the available treatments cause significant immunosuppression and have long term issues with tolerability and toxicity.
Co-director Professor Mark Morrison said:
“There is a major need to identify the cause of causes of these conditions and to develop new, safer and more effective treatments.
“We have an exciting program of projects to address the contribution of the gut microbiome to these disabling, chronic conditions and to help develop new treatment targets and therapeutics,” said Mark.
Recent successful programs include world-first trials of medication to treat bowel damage from Crohn’s disease, and a clinical trial to determine how best to treat Crohn’s disease after a bowel resection to prevent disease recurring and to reduce the need for further surgery.
The lab is currently running the first ever comprehensive randomised trial of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to treat active Crohn’s disease. The lab is also conducting dietary studies to develop diet strategies to help treat inflammation in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and other gut disorders.
The lab is a collaboration between SVI, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, and the University of Melbourne, with support from The Australasian Gastro Intestinal Research Foundation (AGIRF).
Microbiome Laboratory