Body's 'forgotten organ' to be studied at world's largest germ-free lab in Calgary

A one-of-a-kind facility hasjust opened in Calgaryto help researchers better diagnose, treat and prevent everything from food allergies tometabolic disorders,autoimmune deficiencies andbrain diseases.

Located at the University of Calgary, the$12.2-million, 10,000-sq.-ft. InternationalMicrobiomeCentre is a germ-free lab and the only one in the world capable of producing live, real-timecellular imaging.

The highly controlled environment uses a multilayered ventilation and filtering system, positively-pressuredroomsand stringent shower-in procedures to keep all sorts of microorganisms out.

But it's not the ability to observe germ-free mice that most excites Kathy McCoy, director of the new lab at the University ofCalgary.

"The real power is being able to put the microbes back in and follow what's happening," she said.

Researchers will now be able toobserve what effects, if any, those communities of tiny organisms haveon the animals'overall health.

Take a look inside the world's largest germ-free lab, now located in Calgary

7 years ago

Duration 0:50

Research conducted at the new facility will hopefully yield new medical, environmental, and food production insights.

The 'forgotten organ'

The microbiome is a group of trillions of bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi that live in and around us and interact directly with our immune systems.

It protects the body from pathogens, cancer, cardiovascular diseaseand chronic inflammatory diseases, including allergies, brain disorders and autoimmune disease, McCoy said.

Researchers don't precisely understand how different microbiome compositions can make us more or less susceptible to disease, but they do knowthere's an underlying connection.

• Childhood asthma risk affected by bacteria in early infancy
• Gut bacteria may be key to fighting obesity

"Any chronic disease you can imagine, if you look at themicrobiome, thatmicrobiomelooks different in a healthy person."

In that sense, the microbiomeis the body's"forgotten organ," McCoy said.

"Ifany organ in your body is damaged or diseased, your whole body will suffer. It's the same with the microbiome."

Chronic illnesses 'absolutely skyrocket'

McCoy says that since the 1990s, chronic diseases across the boardhave begun to "absolutely skyrocket," particularly in Westerncountries.

While scientists know genetics underlie many of these diseases, it's unlikely our gene pool has changed very much over the past two decades, McCoy said.

"Diseases are always a product of our environment and our genes," McCoy said.

"What has changed? Our environment has changed massively."

The antibiotic 'atomic bomb'

McCoy believes that the diversity of humanmicrobiomeshas decreased over time, weakening our immune system's ability to protect us.

She attributes this loss of diversity in part to diet changes and advances in medical treatment.

Individuals are consumingmore processed foods, more sugar, more fat and less fibre, McCoyexplained.

This, combined with an "alarming" uptick in the use of antibiotics, has had serious consequences on our microbial environment.

"Antibiotics are like an atomic bomb to yourmicrobiome," McCoy said.

"One dose of antibiotics is believed to change your microbial composition, and it never goes back to its original state," she explained.

Harnessing the microbiome

McCoy believes the microbiome may be the single most important factor that we can change, not just to prevent disease, butto promote human health and wellness.

"How can we harness the power of that microbiome?"

First, we need to understand the exact molecular and cellular mechanisms by which it shapes our immune system and influences our health, she said.

Researchersbelieve the microbiome is especially important in early life, because it educates the development of our immune systems.

Now, McCoy and her colleagues hope to expand that knowledge and apply it to realms far outside human biology.

Lessons learned could help shed light on how to increase crop and livestock production, find energy solutions for carbon dioxide conversion and more reliably transformbiomassinto an alternative energy source.

"For me, now the really exciting part begins," McCoy says.