For Robin (Pedersen) Flannery \u201902, the term \u201cgut check\u201d has taken on a whole new meaning in her biomedical science career.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As director, clinical development and operations for Evolve Biosystems, Flannery is on the leading edge of a nascent field: the study of the infant gut microbiome and how its bacterial composition affects a child\u2019s overall health. She organizes and executes Evolve\u2019s clinical trials that look at how the bacterium B. infantis<\/em> \u2014 a species that uniquely consumes indigestible sugars in breast milk \u2014 can enable babies to better utilize nutrients \u201cInfants who do not have B. infantis<\/em> in their gut microbiome will have a higher gut pH, which allows pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria to thrive,\u201d Flannery explains. \u201cThese pathogenic bacteria, along with the disappearance of B. infantis<\/em>, are linked to health issues such as diabetes, asthma, eczema, allergies, and obesity, all of which have been on the rise in our population.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The gut microbiome also interacts significantly with the immune system. If the wrong bacteria are involved in those interactions early in life, it can lead to aberrant immune system development and autoimmune disorders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u00a0If a baby is delivered by cesarean section, fed formula, or prescribed antibiotics, they are less likely to have B. infantis<\/em> in their gut microbiome. \u201cWe\u2019re working to develop probiotic products to establish, restore,\u00a0and maintain the infant gut to what nature intended,\u201d Flannery says.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, she is coordinating a trial in Bangladesh that provides a B. infantis <\/em>supplement in powder form to 75 malnourished infants. \u201cThey have a very different gut microbiome than healthy, age-matched controls,\u201d she says. \u201cWe hypothesize that, by supplementing them with B. infantis<\/em> and providing the proper nutrients, the infants will grow better and have improved health outcomes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n In partnership with King\u2019s College in London, Flannery has launched a trial of the powdered supplement for cesarean-delivered infants that examines how their immune systems develop compared to babies given a placebo. And in Florida, she\u2019s running a study of an oil-based supplement for preterm infants in one of the nation\u2019s largest neonatal intensive care units. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It was after a career gut check that Flannery pivoted into clinical trial development. She had spent five years conducting traditional laboratory \u201cbench science\u201d \u2014 such as DNA extraction and cell-based assays \u2014 for Boston-area companies ranging from a small start-up to pharmaceutical giant Novartis. But, \u201cI felt too far removed from the translation of that exciting science to patients,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Flannery honed her clinical trial development skills at Osiris Therapeutics, where she was on the clinical team that developed the world\u2019s first FDA-approved stem-cell drug. The experience left no doubt that Flannery had found the \u201cGoldilocks niche\u201d that best matched her skills and interests. \u201cClinical trial work is so multifaceted,\u201d she says. \u201cI work with regulatory agencies. I coordinate the teams manufacturing the product. I\u2019m responsible for all of the required documentation. I have to be organized for everything that\u2019s happening at once.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since joining Evolve in 2016, Flannery acknowledges that her daily conversations have taken a turn she didn\u2019t envision. \u201cI never thought I\u2019d spend so much time talking about poop and breast milk,\u201d she jokes. \u201cBut being in this position, and doing this work, is really where I\u2019ve always wanted to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Robin Flannery \u201902 is taking a closer look at the benefits of probiotics for babies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1221,"featured_media":2897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[68],"coauthors":[424],"class_list":["post-2896","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-discover","tag-health"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/palXSH-KI","amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2019\/10\/Going-with-her-Gut-final.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1221"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2896"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2899,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2896\/revisions\/2899"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2897"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2896"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2896"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2896"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.colgate.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=2896"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nand, it\u2019s theorized, strengthen their immune systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n