For anyone working in microbiome science, gnotobiotics, or reproductive biology, I highly recommend giving it a read, published now in Gut Microbes:

🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

#microbiome #microbiota #germfree #pregnancy #gut

A big shout out to Dr ChudanXu, who led this project, and Dr Simona Antonacci, who provided invaluable technical expertise

This paper is a reminder that rigorous science isn’t just about confirming hypotheses; it’s about staying open to the story the data is trying to tell

Unexpected results can be the most informative - if we’re willing to follow where they lead

Key take‑home messages:

- The maternal microbiome is not optional - it plays a critical role in supporting pregnancy outcomes

- Germ‑free breeding introduces hidden biological constraints that can confound experimental interpretation

In this case, the data led us to a cautionary tale about relying on germ‑free animals for breeding experiments

Our study comparing germ‑free and conventionalised mice revealed just how profoundly the maternal microbiome shapes pregnancy success

😎 Nelson Mandela Epic Fail Award - Inspired by Mandela’s quote ‘I never lose. I either win or learn’, this award recognizes failing but learning from it: winners Liz Vecchio, Phoebe Cheong, and Evany Dinakis

🏆 Research Rockstar Award - For achieving the highest number of peer-reviewed recognition as a PhD student: Chaoran Yang

🏆 Research Rockstar Award - For achieving the highest number of peer-reviewed recognition as a postdoctoral researcher: @rikeish.bsky.social

📈 The Master Organiser Award - For being the most organised person in the team and helping others improve their organisational skills: winner Chudan Xu, runner up Simona Antonacci

📰 Trend Tracker Award - For being the go-to person for communication trends and finding the latest papers in the field: (several times) winner @rikeish.bsky.social, runner up Chaoran Yang

🫂 Awesomeness Award - For being an overall great colleague: winner Phoebe Cheong, runner up Wendy Qin

😄 Funniest Person Ever Award (our most competitive award) - For bringing joy and laughter to the team: winner Wendy Qin, runner up Evany Dinakis

✨ Values Vanguard Award - For supporting the lab values and living by their own values: winner Evany Dinakis, runner up Liz Vecchio

💚 Resilience Pro Award - For being the most resilient person in the team and helping others improve their resilience: (several times) winner Chudan Xu, runner ups Joanne O'Donnell & Jenny Li

💡 Resourcefulness Award - For their problem-solving attitude that has helped our team thrive: Winner Simona Antonacci, runner up Joanne O'Donnell

🌍 Why it matters:

Our findings highlight how diet and gut microbiome (microbes, regional pH, metabolites) influence the host’s systemic immune regulation—with new connections and potential implications for chronic disease prevention

🔍 What we did:

We combined metagenomes, in vivo colonic pH, & deep peripheral immune phenotyping (121 cell types & subtypes) to uncover novel host–microbe interactions in humans - the most detailed map of microbiome interaction w the human systemic immune system to date