Jack A Gilbert
gilbertjacka.bsky.social
Jack A Gilbert
@gilbertjacka.bsky.social
Microbial ecologist: EIC for mSystems Journal, cofounder of http://biomesense.com; President for AMI (http://appliedmicrobiology.org); Father, Scientist, Pilot.
New in Cell Metabolism:

Ketogenic diet protects against septic lung injury through the microbiome:

πŸ₯‘ KD β†’ enriches L. reuteri & L. plantarum
πŸ§ͺ Oleic acid β†’ azelaic acid
🫁 AZA β†’ PPAR-Ξ³ β†’ MerTK⁺ macrophages
βš–οΈ Enhanced efferocytosis + neutrophil apoptosis

www.cell.com/cell-metabol...
Ketogenic diet alleviates septic lung injury via microbial gut-lung axis
Wei et al. show that a ketogenic diet protects against sepsis-induced lung injury via a gut-lung axis. Specific gut lactobacilli convert dietary oleic acid into azelaic acid, which translocates to the...
www.cell.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:13 PM
Our new review in Clinical Microbiology & Infection lays out a roadmap for the clinical impact of microbiome research built on:

πŸ”¬ scientific credibility
βš–οΈ regulatory & funding readiness
🀝 stakeholder engagement

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Microbiome research in practice: priorities for clinical translation and impact
Rapid advances in microbiome science have sparked clinical and commercial enthusiasm for interventions, yet translation into practice risks outpacing …
www.sciencedirect.com
February 8, 2026 at 9:09 PM
New preprint alert 🚨

Our new bioRxiv preprint (with Brian Layden @ UIC) shows fermentable fiber reshapes gut tryptophan metabolism, lowering indole β†’ indoxyl sulfate and dampening inflammation.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
February 6, 2026 at 4:17 PM
πŸŽ–οΈ The AMI Horizon Awards are open for nominations!
Recognising excellence across applied microbiology these are among the most prestigious honours our field has to offer.

Nominate your colleagues πŸ‘‰ appliedmicrobiology.org/advocacy-pol...
Horizon Awards
The Horizon Awards recognise individuals and teams at the forefront of microbiological research.
appliedmicrobiology.org
February 2, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
πŸ’‘ Hey @ucsandiego.bsky.social innovators, entrepreneurs and sustainability-minded folksβ€”the Triton Sustainability Challenge returns to campus and is now accepting applications! Submit your innovative technology that impacts the environment here: https://bit.ly/3ZeKDYA
February 2, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
It was great discussing with @gilbertjacka.bsky.social
and having Stefanie as a co-host!

I hope you will enjoy it as well!

🦠🧫πŸ§ͺπŸ–₯️🧬
LAUNCH DAYπŸŽ™οΈ

We're thrilled to share the very first episode of #MVIFconversations w/ Jack Gilbert πŸ’«

Stefanie Malan-MΓΌller & @cpavloud.bsky.social talked with @gilbertjacka.bsky.social about how microbes shape our health and the invisible living world around us.

Give it a listen & spread the word!
January 26, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
In the Episode 1, @cpavloud.bsky.social & Stefanie Malan-MΓΌller welcomed @gilbertjacka.bsky.social!

NEXT episode will be out in February 🀫 & I can't wait to tell you who was my guest.

▢️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...

▢️ music.amazon.com/podcasts/81c...

▢️ www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

2/2
Episode 1 - Jack Gilbert: "We are living in a microbial world"
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
January 28, 2026 at 9:24 AM
New preprint πŸ§«πŸ„

Vaginal mycobiome in Hispanic women is diverse, environmentally influenced, and linked to cervical disease severity. High-grade HPV lesions are associated with reduced fungal diversity.

Preprint on bioRxiv:
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Environmental Fungi Modulate the Vaginal Mycobiome and Cervical Disease Progression in Hispanic Women
The vaginal mycobiome, though a minor component of the cervicovaginal ecosystem, plays a crucial role in reproductive health and disease. However, its composition and interactions with bacterial communities remain poorly understood, particularly among Hispanic women, who experience disproportionately high rates of Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer. We characterized the vaginal mycobiota across reproductive stages and examined its associations with cervical disease, HPV status, and bacterial community state types (CSTs) in 86 Hispanic participants from Puerto Rico using ITS1 amplicon sequencing. Amplicon sequence variants were inferred with QIIME2/DADA2 and taxonomically classified using the UNITE database, with diversity and discriminant taxa analyses applied to explore clinical and microbial associations. We detected 173 fungal Species Hypotheses, dominated by Candida albicans , Agaricomycetes sp., Scopuloides dimorpha , and Hortaea werneckii . While fungal composition did not differ significantly by reproductive stage, non-pregnant individuals exhibited greater inter-individual variability. Alpha diversity was reduced in high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions compared with low-grade or normal cytology, and Candida parapsilosis prevalence was elevated in low-grade lesions. CST III, characterized by Lactobacillus iners dominance, showed greater dispersion variance than other CSTs. Collectively, these findings reveal a diverse vaginal mycobiome with stage- and disease-specific features, and a notable contribution of environmental fungi that may influence cervical pathogenesis. This work provides foundational insight into cervicovaginal fungal ecology in a high-risk Hispanic population and highlights the importance of integrating bacteriome–mycobiome analyses in women’s health research.
www.biorxiv.org
January 28, 2026 at 6:21 PM
Just published in BMJ Public Health - longitudinal METS cohort shows rapid increases in obesity, high blood glucose and high blood pressure across African-origin populations in Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, Seychelles & the U.S.

πŸ”— bmjpublichealth.bmj.com/content/4/1/...
Eight-year prevalence and incidence of obesity, high blood glucose and high blood pressure in five African-origin populations: data from the Modeling the Epidemiologic Transition Study
Introduction Obesity, high blood glucose and high blood pressure are major drivers of global morbidity. Characterising temporal trends in these conditions among people of African origin can direct pub...
bmjpublichealth.bmj.com
January 20, 2026 at 2:00 AM
Led by Dottie Dothard we just posted a new preprint showing that socially transferred pain in mice doesn’t just alter neural circuits β€” it also remodels the gut microbiome of the β€œbystander” animal. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org
January 16, 2026 at 2:53 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
3️⃣ Scripps-affiliated leaders are featured in San Diego Magazine's 2026 Biggest Movers & Shakers list, recognized for driving bold ideas and shaping the future of our city. Join us in recognizing @minwadhwa.bsky.social, @gilbertjacka.bsky.social and @supervisoraguirre.bsky.social!
bit.ly/49dJkz5
January 9, 2026 at 7:26 PM
πŸ§ͺ New resource alert!
The National Sea Urchin Resource Center (NSURC) is now live at UC San Diego πŸ¦”πŸŒŠ
βœ”οΈ Reliable animal supply
βœ”οΈ Transgenic lines & tools
βœ”οΈ Colony startup support

Powering reproducible biomedical & environmental research with one of our closest invertebrate relatives.
nsurc.ucsd.edu
National Sea Urchin Resource Center (NSURC) at UC San Diego – Accelerating sea urchin genetics for biomedical discovery
nsurc.ucsd.edu
December 23, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
@gilbertjacka.bsky.social was kind enough to invite me, and many others in the field, to contribute to a perspective article on "Clinical translation in microbiome research" in @natmed.nature.com

The conclusion? We're making breakneck progress, compared to other fields!

doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Clinical translation of microbiome research - Nature Medicine
This Review summarizes recent and compelling examples of microbiome-based interventions that are ripe for clinical adoption while also discussing the challenges and opportunities facing the field.
doi.org
December 19, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
His science exquisitely uncovered profound facets across biology’s subdisciplines. Most importantly, he has gifted a new generation of scientists a profound sense of possibility and mandate: to look beyond the individual organism and understand the world as it truly is.
December 15, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
THOMAS BOSCH's work and mentorship are powerful invitations to young minds to embrace the biggest questions at the very roots of life and to make a positive impact on humanity. Thank you Prof. Bosch, recipient of the annual and inaugural MICROBIOME MEDAL from @psumbiome.bsky.social
.
December 15, 2025 at 8:46 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
we are multitudes, these bugs are all over you, inside of you, crawling about, digesting bits of you, breeding, #bugs are cool
December 3, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Exciting news! UC San Diego has launched the new Soil Health Center to drive research and solutions for climate resilience and food security. Dive into how interdisciplinary science is tackling soil health and sustainability: today.ucsd.edu/story/uc-san...
UC San Diego Launches Soil Health Center to Advance Climate Solutions, Food Security
Experts across UC San Diego have united to launch the Soil Health Center at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Established in fall 2025, the center brings together an interdisciplinary team that’s d...
today.ucsd.edu
December 11, 2025 at 4:05 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
Deeply care about #conservation?

Then listen to @gilbertjacka.bsky.social from @scrippsocean.bsky.social discuss the importance of microbial conservation as the foundation for all other conservation (including us macrobes).

www.sciencefriday.com/segments/mic...
Can A Microbe Conservation Movement Take Off?
Microbes make up about 99% of all species, but they’re not part of any global conservation plans. One group is trying to change that.
www.sciencefriday.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine (Gift Article)
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:10 PM
I talked to Flora Lichtman about our attempt to integrate microbiology into global conservation for @scifri.bsky.social @npr.org www.sciencefriday.com/segments/mic...
Can A Microbe Conservation Movement Take Off?
Microbes make up about 99% of all species, but they’re not part of any global conservation plans. One group is trying to change that.
www.sciencefriday.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:08 PM
A longer look at our new IUCN Species Survival Commission for Microbes academic.oup.com/sumbio/artic...

This article provides more details on what we hope to achieve over the next 18 months.
Safeguarding microbial biodiversity: microbial conservation specialist group within the species survival commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Abstract. As the first and dominant life forms on the planet, microorganisms underpin all ecological and organismal systems that drive planetary functionin
academic.oup.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
The road ahead: why conserving the invisible 99% of life is fundamental to planetary health. A new paper in SMI charts how scientists came together to put together the first microbial conservation roadmap under the leadership of AMI President Jack Gilbert www.the-microbiologist.com/news/the-roa...
The road ahead: why conserving the invisible 99% of life is fundamental to planetary health
A new paper outlines how scientists came together to put together the first microbial conservation roadmap under the leadership of Applied Microbiology International President, Professor Jack Gilbert.
www.the-microbiologist.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Sure there is. We are just not the ones collecting it.
November 20, 2025 at 11:56 PM
A longer look at our new IUCN Species Survival Commission for Microbes academic.oup.com/sumbio/artic...

This article provides more details on what we hope to achieve over the next 18 months.
Safeguarding microbial biodiversity: microbial conservation specialist group within the species survival commission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Abstract. As the first and dominant life forms on the planet, microorganisms underpin all ecological and organismal systems that drive planetary functionin
academic.oup.com
November 20, 2025 at 11:56 PM
Reposted by Jack A Gilbert
πŸ”¬ @ucsandiego.bsky.social scholars are crushing it on the global stage! πŸ’₯ 50 trailblazing scientists were named to @clarivate.com's 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list.

Shoutout to our Scripps stars:

🦠 @gilbertjacka.bsky.social, Microbiology
🌎 Shang-Ping Xie, Geosciences
UC San Diego and UC System Rank Among World’s Top Institutions for Most Influential Researchers
UC San Diego has once again been recognized among the top institutions in the world on the 2025 Highly Cited Researchers list compiled by Clarivate. UC San Diego tied for 18th in the world this year w...
today.ucsd.edu
November 18, 2025 at 5:46 PM