Novo Nordisk Foundation and Technical University of Denmark press release

Bacteria in our gut could play a role in cardiometabolic disease: A new initiative aims to find out

A new Denmark-based research initiative aims to establish a potential causal link between the gut microbiome – the combined genetic material of the communities of bacteria and other microbes in the human gut – and the development of cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The goal is to generate knowledge that can lead to new prevention or treatment options for people living with, or at risk of, CMD.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Novo Nordisk Foundation has committed DKK 150 million (USD 22 million) for the first phase of the Microbiome Health Initiative, a virtual research centre anchored at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), north of Copenhagen. Professor Fredrik Bäckhed from the University of Gothenburg will be employed part-time at DTU to lead the initiative, with Professor Tine Rask Licht from DTU National Food Institute as co-Director.

Research has already shown associations between several gut bacteria or metabolites – substances produced by microbes – and CMD. In Phase 1, the initiative will therefore focus on collaborative research projects that investigate the specific effects of these bacteria or metabolites and advance understanding on how microbiome interventions could reduce the risk of CMD or help manage it. This phase will run from 2024-2028.

"Our task is to verify a causal connection between the intestinal microbiome and diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes," says Professor Licht.

"These links have been partially elucidated in laboratory trials and animal experiments, but there is yet no solid evidence of causal relationships in humans. Once we have this knowledge, the next step in the project will be to find and develop new strategies to treat or prevent these major diseases. Such new strategies will rely on modification of our gut microbiome, for example by adding new microbes, or new dietary components."

The initiative also involves leading scientists at the University of Copenhagen, Amsterdam University Medical Centre, and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, and clinicians at Odense University Hospital and Steno Diabetes Centre Copenhagen. Together, they cover a broad range of disciplines, including microbial physiology, bioinformatics, aetiology of CMD, and human interventions.