51³Ô¹ÏÍø

We investigate how diet shapes the gut microbiome and influences disease risk. Our studies in  show that high-fat, low-fibre diets increase colorectal cancer (CRC) risk, while fibre-rich diets are protective. In , we revealed how diet and microbiota co-regulate host physiology. We’re now uncovering mechanisms through which the gut microbiome (microbiota and their metabolites, such as ) influence the intestinal mucosal health and CRC risk.

Bariatric surgery is an effective treatment for obesity and Type 2 Diabetes—but how does it affect long-term gut health? We study how Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB) reshapes the , with a focus on its potential impact on CRC risk. This work bridges metabolic surgery and cancer prevention through a microbiome lens. Here is an example of which is produced by gastric bypass-associated gut bacteria and increases colorectal cancer risk, and a short .

Intake of antibiotics profoundly disturb the . We examine how different antibiotics and combinations disrupt the gut microbiome and contribute to antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Our goal is to identify microbial signatures and interventions that can mitigate these side effects.

We develop and refine cutting-edge tools for metabolic phenotyping, including NMR spectroscopy for and optimised protocols for biological sample handling, such as , and etc. Our methodological advances support high-resolution insights into host-microbe metabolic interactions.

Funders

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• 51³Ô¹ÏÍø College Research Fellowship 

Related centres 

• Microbiome Network 
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• Centre for Translational Nutrition and Food Research 
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Industry

Internal

External

• Microbiome in Health and Disease MRes stream 
• MRes in Biomedical Research 
• MRes in Cancer Biology 
• BSc in Medical Biosciences 
• Intercalated BSc programme in Pharmacology 

Staff:  

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• Dr Lv Liang 
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PhDs:  

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• Dr Aminah Alotaibi 
• Dr Cong Hu 
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• Dr Renata Oliveira de Vasconcelos 
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External PhD students: 

• (University of Bern) 
• (Khon Kaen University) 
• Sureerat Padthaisong (Khon Kaen University) 

Masters’ students 

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• Anqi Zhang 
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• Grace Barker 
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• Miriam Eustace 
• Qiling Chen 
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• Johan Nam 
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• Glymenaki M, Curio S, Shrestha S, Zhong Q, Rushton L, Barry R, El-Bahrawy M, Marchesi JR, Wang Y, Gooderham NJ, Guerra N, Li JV. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass-associated fecal tyramine promotes colon cancer risk via increased DNA damage, cell proliferation, and inflammation. Microbiome. 2025. 13, 60. 
• Ramaboli MC, Ocvirk S, Khan Mirzaei M, Eberhart BL, Valdivia-Garcia  M, Metwaly A, Neuhaus K, Barker G, Ru J, Nesengani  LT, Mahdi-Joest  D, Wilson  AS, Joni  SK, Layman DC, Zheng J, Mandal R, Chen Q, Perez MR, Fortuin S, Gaunt B, Wishart D, Methé B, Haller D, Li JV, Deng L, Swart R, O'Keefe SJD. Diet Changes due to Urbanization in South Africa are Linked to Microbiome and Metabolome Signatures of Westernization and Colorectal Cancer. Nat Commun. 2024. 15:3379.  
• Wang M, Guo J, Hart AL, Li JV. Indole-3-Aldehyde Reduces Inflammatory Responses and Restores Intestinal Epithelial Barrier Function Partially via Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) in Experimental Colitis Models. J Inflamm Res. 2023. 16:5845-5864.  
• Jones B, Sands C, Alexiadou K, Minnion J, Tharakan G, Behary P, Ahmed A, Purkayastha S, Lewis M, Bloom S, Li JV, Tan T. The metabolomic effects of tripeptide gut hormone infusion compared to Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and caloric restriction. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2022. 107(2):e767-e782. 
• Seyfried F, Phetcharaburanin J, Glymenaki M, Nordbeck A, Hankir M, Nicholson JK, Holmes E, Marchesi JR, Li JV. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in Zucker rats induces bacterial and systemic metabolic changes independent of caloric restriction-induced weight loss. Gut Microbes. 2021.13(1):1-20. 
• Li JV, Ashrafian H, Sarafian M, Homola D, Rushton L, Barker G, Cabrera PM, Lewis MR, Darzi A, Lin E, Gletsu Miller NA, Atkin SL, Sathyapalan T, Gooderham NJ, Nicholson JK, Marchesi JR, Athanasiou T, Holmes E. Roux-en-Y Gastric bypass-induced bacterial perturbation contributes to altered host-bacterial co-metabolic phenotype. Microbiome 2021; 9:139. 
• West KA, Kanu C, Maric T, McDonald JAK, Nicholson JK, Li JV, Johnson MR, Holmes E, Savvidou MD. Longitudinal metabolic and gut bacterial profiling of pregnant women with previous bariatric surgery. Gut. 2020; 69(8):1452. 
• O’Keefe SJD, Li JV, Lahti L, Ou J, Carbonero F, Mohammed K, Posma JM, Kinross J, Wahl E, Ruder E, Vipperla K, Naidoo V, Mtshali L, Tims S, Puylaert PGB, DeLany J, Krasinskas A, Benefiel AC, Kaseb HO, Newton K, Nicholson JK, de Vos WM, Gaskins HR, Zoetendal EG. Fat, fibre and cancer risk in African Americans and rural Africans. Nat Commun 2015; 6:6342  
• Smith MI, Yatsunenko T, Manary MJ, Trehan I, Mkakosya R, Cheng J, Kau AL, Rich SS, Concannon P, Mychaleckyj JC, Liu J, Houpt E, Li JV, Holmes E, Nicholson JK, Knights D, Ursell LK, Knight R, Gordon JI. Gut microbiomes of Malawian twin pairs discordant for kwashiorkor. Science 2013; 339:548-554  
• Li JV*, Ashrafian H*, Bueter M, Kinross J, Sands C, le Roux CW, Bloom SR, Darzi A, Athanasiou T, Marchesi JR, Nicholson JK, Holmes E. Metabolic surgery profoundly influences gut microbial-host metabolic crosstalk. Gut 2011; 60:1214-1223  

Chinese Life Scientists Society in the UK – 30th Annual Conference at CRUK, Cambridge, 11-12 September 2025 

Jia, as the Chair of the Chinese Life Scientists Society in the UK, organised the 30th Annual Conference in Cambridge, along with the Cambridge Life Science Network and Cambridge Chem & Bio Seminar.  

Dr Jiao Xiao, a visiting researcher supported by CSC scholarship in our lab, presented her work on the alkaloid-mediated modulation of neuroinflammation and gut microbiota attenuates depression-like behaviour in mice.  

Workshop on Phenomic Medicine – Bangkok, Thailand 3-5th September 2025 

Dr Caroline Clarke, Professors Julien Wist, Elaine Holmes and Jeremy Nicolson, Dr Jutarop Phetcharaburanin and Dr Jia Li have successfully delivered a 3-day workshop on phenomics medicine, attended by 50 researchers and policy makers.  

Harnessing Phenomic Medicine and Personal Health AI for Smarter Health Solutions Conference -  Bangkok, Thailand, 1st September 2025 

Together with Asst. Prof. from Khon Kaen University, we are excited to kick off an initiative with the launch of our conference on “Harnessing Phenomic Medicine and Personal Health AI for Smarter Health Solutions.” Our goal is to catalyse the integration of phenomics and AI into health monitoring systems to advance disease prevention and personalised care. This initiative was financially supported by the British Council. 

Kaoutar Abaakil and Jia Present at Metabolomics Annual Conference 2025 

Thoroughly enjoyed the Metabolomics Society annual conference 2025 in beautiful Prague. Jia presented the research on post-bariatric pregnancies and their impact on neonatal outcomes, and Kaoutar Abaakil presented her PhD research on the sex-dependent effects of the diets and relation to colon cancer. 

Summer picnic in the Wormwood Scrubs 

Kaoutar Abaakil and Xuan Yang Present at Digestive Disease Week 2025

Miss Kaoutar Abaakil and Miss Xuan Yang attended the prestigious Digestive Disease Week 2025 conference, held in San Diego from May 3–6. 

Kaoutar presented a poster titled “Distinct transcriptional and metabolic adaptations in the jejunum from mice fed with a Western or a Mediterranean diet.” 

 
Xuan delivered a talk on “Impact of dietary heme on circulating, hepatic and gut microbial metabolism in germ-free mice colonized with a defined microbial community.” 

Their contributions highlighted cutting-edge research in diet-microbiome interactions and metabolic health.