The gut microbiome of Colorectal Cancer patients in India

We performed a metagenomic and metabolomic based study on stool samples of certain sets of colorectal cancer patients in India. Our study reveals a possible link between the presence of flavonoid-degrading gut bacterium, Flavonifractor Plautii, and colorectal cancer patients in India and identifies cohort-specific biomarkers, which can potentially be used in noninvasive diagnosis of CRC. The study is published in 'msystems' journal in 2019.

The oral microbiome of smokeless tobacco-consuming healthy and Oral cancer patients in India

We carried out 16S based oral microbiome analysis of 196 samples from three different sites of 32 healthy and 34 oral cancer patients from Indian cohort to assess the effect of tobacco consumption in the alteration of the oral microbiome. We reported a significant similarity between oral microbial profile of smokeless tobacco-consuming healthy individuals and oral cancer samples, which points towards the possible role of smokeless tobacco consumption in increasing oral inflammation-associated microbial taxa. The study is published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology in 2022.

The Indian Gut Microbiome

We have recently published the largest ever study of the gut microbiome of more than 200 healthy human samples from distinct locations in India using multi-omics approaches, including 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, whole genome shotgun metagenomic sequencing, and metabolomic profiling of faecal and serum samples.The study reveals the unique composition of Indian gut microbiome, establishes the Indian gut microbial gene catalogue, established the role of Prevotella species in IGM, and compares it with the gut microbiome of other populations. The functional associations revealed using metagenomic and metabolomic approaches provide novel insights on the gut-oral-microbe-metabolic axis, which will be useful for future epidemiological and translational researches. The studies are published in 'GigaScience, Nature Biofims and Microbiome, mSystems, Microbial Ecology, and Frontiers' journals in 2019-2022.

The Indian Scalp Microbiome

This is the first Metagenomic study of the scalp microbiome worldwide, and also the first and very large scale study (>1400 samples) from India, which has not only identified the abundance of bacterial and fungal species on the scalp but also explained their role in maintaining a healthy scalp. Novel role was found for the bacteria residing on the scalp in supplying the scalp with nutrients which are essential for a healthy scalp. We also showed the benficial effect of coconut oil in healthy scalp microbiome and scalp health. The study provides an excellent sample of a successful industry-academia collaboration between IISER Bhopal and Loreal research and Innovation in India and France.

Metagenomics of the hot springs of Central India

We have carried out the metagenomic sequencing and analysis of hot springs in Central India including Tattapani and Anhoni hot springs. The analysis revealed the hydrocarbon degrading thermophiles and pathways essential for the survival of thermophilic microbial communities in these extreme environments.

Ocean and mangrove metagenome from The Andaman Islands

We are carrying out a large scale metagenomic project to reveal the unique microbial diversity present in the ocean water and mangroves of Andaman Islands. We have also isolated, cultured and sequenced several novel bacteria from these unique locations.