Research Program
Diet, the Gut Microbiome, and Host Metabolism
Program Summary
Dr. Wu is the Ferdinand G. Weisbrod Professor in Gastroenterology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania where he is the Co-Director of the Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Disease. He was the inaugural Director and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the American Gastroenterological Association Center for Gut Microbiome Research and Education and is an elected member of both the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians. He is the Co-Director of the PennCHOP Microbiome Program, a campus-wide initiative to accelerate research in the microbiome across the entire university campus. The current research programs in the Wu laboratory focus on the mutualistic interactions between the gut microbiota and the host with a particular focus on metabolism. Growing evidence suggests that diet impacts upon both the structure and function of the gut microbiota that, in turn, influences the host in fundamental ways. Current areas of investigation include the effect of diet on the composition of the gut microbiota and its subsequence effect on host metabolism related to nitrogen balance as well as its impact on metabolic pathways in the intestinal epithelium, principally fatty acid oxidation. In 2018, Dr. Wu was appointed as the Director of the Penn Center for Nutritional Sciences and Medicine (PenNSAM), a joint collaboration between the Penn School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. PenNSAM focuses on integrating human clinical metadata, traditional dietary assessments, and nutritional biomarkers with the latest high throughput molecular profiling technologies together with advanced biostatistical and computational tools in a transformational approach to improve human health and ameliorate disease through diet and nutrition.
Lab personnel:
Aaron Hecht, MD, PhD
Lillian Chau, MS
Elliot Friedman, PhD
Dylan Curry, PhD
Johanna Lemons, PhD
Bryce Perler, MD
Lindsey Herman, BS
Selected Publications
Compher CW, Quinn R, Burke F, Piccinin D, Sartor L, Lewis JD, Wu GD.: Development of the Penn Healthy Diet screener with reference to adult dietary intake data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nutr J 21: 70, Nov 2022.
Perler BK, Friedman ES, Wu GD.: The Role of the Gut Microbiota in the Relationship Between Diet and Human Health. Annu Rev Physiol Nov 2022.
Mancin L, Wu GD, Paoli A.: Gut microbiota-bile acid-skeletal muscle axis. Trends Microbiol Oct 2022.
Bartolo L, Afroz S, Pan YG, Xu R, Williams L, Lin CF, Tanes C, Bittinger K, Friedman ES, Gimotty PA, Wu GD, Su LF.: SARS-CoV-2-specific T cells in unexposed adults display broad trafficking potential and cross-react with commensal antigens. Sci Immunol 7: eabn3127, Oct 2022.
Breton J, Tanes C, Tu V, Albenberg L, Rowley S, Devas N, Hwang R, Kachelries K, Wu GD, Baldassano RN, Bittinger K, Mattei P.: A Microbial Signature for Paediatric Perianal Crohn's Disease. J Crohns Colitis 16: 1281-1292, Aug 2022.
Palchaudhuri S, Mehta SJ, Snider CK, Hudson L, Wu GD, Pickett-Blakely O.: Hospital Discharge on Enteral Nutrition is Associated with Increased Hospital Readmissions. J Am Nutr Assoc Apr 2022.
Mennella JA, Li Y, Bittinger K, Friedman ES, Zhao C, Li H, Wu GD, Trabulsi JC.: The Macronutrient Composition of Infant Formula Produces Differences in Gut Microbiota Maturation That Associate with Weight Gain Velocity and Weight Status. Nutrients 14: 1241, Mar 2022.
Uhl S, Siddique SM, Bloschichak A, McKeever W, D'Anci K, Leas B, Mull NK, Compher C, Lewis JD, Wu GD, Tsou AY.: Interventions for malnutrition in hospitalized adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Hosp Med 2022.
Palchaudhuri S, Mehta SJ, Snider CK, Parsikia A, Hudson L, Compher C, Lewis JD, Wu GD, Pickett-Blakely O.: Causes of readmissions for patients discharged on enteral nutrition. JPEN J Parenter Enteral Nutr 2022.
Kastl A, Zong W, Gershuni VM, Friedman ES, Tanes C, Boateng A, Mitchell WJ, O'Connor K, Bittinger K, Terry NA, Bales C, Albenberg L, Wu GD.: Dietary fiber-based regulation of bile salt hydrolase activity in the gut microbiota and its relevance to human disease. Gut Microbes 2022.
back to top
Last updated: 11/25/2022
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania
