The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) selected paper on air pollution inhalation exposure and the microbiome as a ‘Paper of the Month’ (August 2024)

A new study led by UCLA Health researchers Jesus Araujo, MD, MSc, PhD, associate professor of environmental health, and Jonathan P. Jacobs, MD, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center, found that exposure to ultrafine particulate matter can alter the composition of microorganisms living in the gut. The study was featured as “Extramural Paper of the Month” by the NIEHS, which funded the study.

Published in Gut (August 2024)

Dr. Jacobs published a study in Gut in collaboration with colleagues at Mount Sinai on microbial biomarkers of risk in families with a history of IBD.

Jonathan P. Jacobs, MD, PhD, honored as a ScholarGPS Highly Ranked Scholar (July 2024)

ScholarGPS celebrates Highly Ranked Scholars™ for their exceptional performance in various disciplines. Dr. Jacobs’ prolific publication record, the high impact of his work and the outstanding quality of his scholarly contributions have placed him in the top 0.5% of all scholars worldwide according to ScholarGPS’s analytic tools in the field of microbiota. Dr. Jacobs is the co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center. View his scholar profile and ranking

Infants’ microbiomes shaped by physical contact with caregivers (June 2024)

A new study led by researchers at UCLA Health found that early life caregiving experiences, including skin-to-skin contact at birth, number of individuals in physical contact with the infant at birth and the amount of time infants were in physical contact with caregivers were significantly associated with the composition of the infant gut microbiome up to 6 months of age. These factors explained up to 11% of variation in the microbiome among infants and were associated with altered abundance of important early-life gut bacteria such as Bifidobacterium. UCLA GI authors include Andrew Gregg, MD, PhD, GI fellow, and Jonathan P. Jacobs, MD, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center.

Selected as Editor's Choice by the IBD Journal (March 2024)

A recent manuscript from the Jacobs Laboratory, "Microbial and Metabolite Signatures of Stress Reactivity in Ulcerative Colitis Patients in Clinical Remission Predict Clinical Flare Risk," was selected as the Editor's Choice article for the March 2024 issue of the IBD Journal.

Candace Change successfully defended her PhD thesis (February 2024)

Candace has received her PhD from the UCLA Molecular Toxicology Interdepartmental PhD program after defending her dissertation on February 29, 2024.

Julianne Yang successfully defended her PhD thesis (October 2023)

Julianne has received her PhD from the UCLA Molecular, Cellular & Integrative Physiology Interdepartmental PhD program after defending her dissertation on October 18, 2023.

Published in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Nutrients, Scientific Reports, and Laryngoscope (August 2023)

In the past month, the Jacobs lab has published first and senior author papers in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, Nutrients, Scientific Reports, and Laryngoscope on microbial signatures of stress reactivity in IBD, effects of human milk oligosaccharides on the adult microbiome, the sinus microbiome of chronic rhinosinusitis, and the microbiome in a mouse model of schizophrenia.

A Video Byte describing the Jacobs Lab's recently published IBS multi-omnics study is now posted on Research Square (August 2023)

Multii-omnics profiles of the intestinal microbiome in irritable bowel syndrome and its bowel habit subtypes was published in Microbiome, January 10, 2023. Watch video here

Carolina Koletic, MD, receives the 2023 Shapiro Award (June 2023)

Dr. Koletic received first place in the 2023 Shapiro Award contest for her presentation during the 2023 Children's Discovery and Innovation Institute Symposium. The awards were announced at the Pediatric Fellows' Graduation Ceremony on 6/9/2023.

Published in Cell Host & Microbe (May 2023)

Matthew Zhao contributed an In Translation article preview entitled "Fecal matters: Microbial signatures distinguish clinically relevant subtypes of precancerous colorectal polyps" to Cell Host & Microbe.

Integrated Biomedical Science Seminar Series, Loma Linda University (May 2023)

Dr. Jacobs gave a seminar entitled “Causes and consequences of intestinal dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease” on 5/18/2023.

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2023 (May 2023)

Carolina Koletic, Julianne Yang, and Candace Chang presented abstracts at DDW 2023.

Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center Established (February 2023)

The Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center has been established with a generous $20 million gift from Andrea and Donald Goodman and Renee and Meyer Luskin. Dr. Jacobs will serve as co-director of the new center and director of its Microbiome Core.

Published in Microbiome (January 2023)

A manuscript by Dr. Jacobs and his collaborators entitled "Multi-omics profiles of the intestinal microbiome in irritable bowel syndrome and its bowel habit subtypes" was accepted for publication in Microbiome.

Screening of the "The Invisible Extinction" (January 2023)

Dr. Jacobs was an invited speaker for a Q&A session on January 12, 2023, following a screening of "The Invisible Extinction," a documentary on gut microbiome research. Matt Zhao from the lab served as discussion moderator.

Nutrients Special Issue on the Intestinal Microbiome (December 2022)

Dr. Jacobs served as guest editor for a special issue of the journal Nutrients on "Modulation of Host Physiology and Pathophysiology by the Gut Microbiome." The online special issue currently has 10 published articles, including first-author publications by Julianne Yang, Kayti Luu, and Diana Chernikova from the lab. Given the interest shown in this special issue, the original submission deadline has been extended to July 2023.

Published in Genome Medicine (August 2022) 
A manuscript by Dr. Jacobs and his collaborators entitled "Crohn's disease in endoscopic remission, obesity, and cases of high genetic risk demonstrate overlapping shifts in the colonic mucosal-luminal interface microbiome" was accepted for publication in Genome Medicine.

Microbiome and nutrition highlighted in the Summer 2022 issue of the UCLA Public Health Magazine (June 2022)
Dr. Jacobs was interviewed for an article in the Summer issue of the UCLA Public Health Magazine describing research by faculty members of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health on the link between the gut microbiome, nutrition, and health.

UCLA Children's Discovery & Innovation Institute Awards (June 2022)
Dr. Diana Chernikova and Dr. Carolina Koletic received Fellows Research Support Awards from the UCLA Children's Discovery & Innovation Institute (CDI). They are grateful to the CDI for this generous support for their research projects during their pediatric fellowships.

Metabolomics Association of North America (MANA) Microbiome Interest Group Seminar Series (February 2022)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk entitled “Defining a Pre-disease Microbial Risk State for Inflammatory Bowel Disease” on 2/16/2022.

UCLA Allergy and Immunology Seminar Series (December 2021)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk entitled “Causes and consequences of intestinal dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease” on 12/10/2021.

Environmental Health Sciences and Molecular Toxicology Seminar Series (November 2021)
Dr. Jacobs gave a seminar entitled “Air pollution as a contributing factor to intestinal dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease” on 11/24/2021.

Published in Microbiome (November 2021)
A manuscript by Dr. Jacobs and his collaborators at UCLA and the University at Buffalo entitled "Cognitive behavioral therapy for irritable bowel syndrome induces bidirectional alterations in the brain-gut-microbiome axis associated with gastrointestinal symptom improvement" was accepted for publication in Microbiome. It is available with a video abstract here

Children's Discovery & Innovation Institute (CDI) Scientific Seminar Series (October 2021)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk entitled “Causes and consequences of intestinal dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease” on 10/21/2021.

Microbiome and immune system connection highlighted in the Summer 2021 issue of Vital Signs (June 2021)
Dr. Jacobs was interviewed for an article in the Summer issue of Vital Signs describing the link between the gut microbiome and immune function.

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2021 (May 2021)
An abstract from the Jacobs Laboratory was selected for oral presentation at DDW 2021 during the session on "The role of the microbiome in gut inflammation." The talk was entitled “IBD-associated dysbiosis in unaffected relatives of IBD patients emerges in late adolescence and increases with age,” and was given on 5/22/2021.

Personalized Nutrition in Primary Care: The Essential Role of Nutrition in Immunity (March 2021)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk entitled “Diet, microbiome and immunity” on 3/13/2021 for this UCLA symposium on nutrition and immune function.

UCLA Department of Medicine Grand Rounds (September 2020)
Dr. Jacobs presented Grand Rounds on September 23, 2020, from 8:30 - 9:30 am. His talk was entitled "Causes and consequences of intestinal dysbiosis in inflammatory bowel disease."

NIDDK U54 (May 2020)
Dr. Jacobs and a team of investigators led by Drs. Emeran A. Mayer and Lin Chang have received a U54 from the NIDDK to study the role of the gut microbiome and female sex hormones in the modulation of brain-gut-microbiome interactions in irritable bowel syndrome and chronic functional constipation.

NIEHS R01 (September 2020)
Dr. Jacobs and a team led by Dr. Beate Ritz have received a R01 from the NIEHS to investigate the role of long-term pesticide exposure in the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2020 (May 2020)
The Jacobs Laboratory is included on eight accepted abstracts for DDW 2020, including two oral presentations to be given by Dr. Jacobs in sessions on "Prebiotics, Probiotics and Synbiotics in Health and Disease" and "The Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis in Health and Disease."

Crohn's and Colitis Congress 2020 (January 2020)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk entitled “Effects of an IBD-associated microbial community state on intestinal inflammation in humanized gnotobiotic mice” during a session on "Sensation and Reality: Brain, Pain and the Biome" at the 2020 Crohn's and Colitis Congress.

15th Annual Gregory J. Gurtner Memorial Lecture (December 2019)
Dr. Jacobs was invited to give the 15th Annual Gurtner Memorial Lecture at Washington University in St. Louis on 12/8/19. This special annual event honors the memory of Dr. Greg Gurtner, a gastroenterologist and scientist who tragically passed away early in his career but who continues to set an example for young physician scientists.

Quoted by NBC News (October 2019)
Dr. Jacobs was interviewed by NBC News for articles on the use of fecal microbiota transplantation to treat irritable bowel syndrome and the effect of sun exposure on the intestinal microbiome.

VA LAMb Grant (September 2019)
Dr. Jacobs received a Lab Animal Major Equipment (LAMb) Grant to establish a gnotobiotic facility at the West Los Angeles VA Medical Center to house germ-free mice and mice colonized with human microbiota.

JCCC Seed Grant (September 2019)
Dr. Jacobs was awarded a Seed Grant by the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center for his proposal entitled "The intestinal microbiome in locally advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma: association with T cell infiltration into tumor and effects of surgery/chemotherapy."

DOD Award (September 2019)
Dr. Jacobs and his collaborators Andrey Mazarati and Richard Staba received a DOD Idea Development Award for their proposal titled “Gut Microbiome and Post-Traumatic Epilepsy: Biomarker and Mechanistic Implications.”

Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2019 (May 2019)
The Jacobs Laboratory is included on 9 abstracts accepted for oral or poster presentation at DDW, held this year in San Diego on May 18-22, 2019.

CURE Annual Meeting (March 2019)
The Jacobs Laboratory presented two posters at the 2019 CURE Annual Meeting held on March 22, one of which was awarded first place in the abstract awards contest.

Crohn's & Colitis Education Conference, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation (March 2019)
Dr. Jacobs will be giving an educational seminar titled "The Microbiome in IBD: What is It, and How Can It Help?" on March 23 at Hoag Hospital, Irvine.

UCLA Molecular Toxicology (February 2019)
Dr. Jacobs has joined the faculty of the UCLA Molecular Toxicology Program. The Jacobs Laboratory is now accepting Mol Tox graduate students for rotations.

NIEHS R01 (October 2018)
Dr. Jacobs and his UCLA collaborators, Dr. Jesus Araujo and Dr. Tzung Hsiai, have received funding for a R01 grant to study the effect of a type of air pollution (ultrafine particles) on the gut microbiome and atherosclerosis.

Cousins Center Lectures in Psychoneuroimmunology (October 2018)
Dr. Jacobs will be giving a talk titled "Microbiome-gut-brain Interactions in Gastrointestinal Diseases" on October 25 for the Cousins Center Lectures in Psychoneuroimmunology series.

VA Merit Review (October 2018)
Dr. Jacobs and a team of VA investigators led by Dr. Joseph Pisegna have received a collaborative VA Merit Review to study the microbiome of Veterans with locally advanced colorectal cancer at multiple VA hospitals throughout the country.

UCLA Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology (September 2018)
Dr. Jacobs has joined the faculty of the UCLA Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Program. The Jacobs Laboratory is now accepting MCIP graduate students for rotations.

DOD Award (September 2018)
Dr. Jacobs and his collaborators at UCLA (Dr. Emeran A. Mayer) and USC (Dr. Lisa Aziz-Zadeh) were awarded an Idea Development Award from the DOD to study the relationships among the microbiome, brain, and behavior in autism spectrum disorder.

Jonathan P. Jacobs, MD, PhD, and Tien Dong, MD, Phd, Published in Hepatology Research (December 2018)
Dr. Jacobs, director of the Microbiome Core in the UCLA Microbiome Center, and Dr. Dong, GI fellow and T-32 recipient, examined the microbiome and bile acid in patients with advanced liver disease. Their article is titled, “Microbiome and bile acid profiles in duodenal aspirates from patients with liver cirrhosis: The Microbiome, Microbial Markers and Liver Disease Study.” Other authors included Dr. Vatche Agopian, UCLA Department of Surgery, Dr. Francisco Durazo, chief of UCLA Transplant Hepatology, Dr. Jihane Benhammou, UCLA STAR fellow, and Dr. Shehnaz Hussain, UCLA School of Public Health and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center faculty. The array of authors represents a nice collaboration between faculty at multiple institutions. The work was supported by an NIH RO1 grant to Dr. Hussain and sub-awarded to Drs. Agopian ( UCLA) and Jacobs (VA).

Oral Presentation at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2018 (June 2018)
An abstract submitted by Dr. Jacobs was selected for oral presentation on June 5, 2018, at a session during DDW 2018 on Biotics in Health and Disease. It was entitled “Intestinal Microbiota Predict Response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome.”

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Research Initiatives Award (June 2018)
Dr. Jacobs and his UCLA Vatche and Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Disease collaborators Dr. Emeran A. Mayer and Dr. Jenny Sauk have received a Research Initiatives Award for their proposal titled "Brain-gut-microbiome signatures of stress-related IBD symptom flares." The team of investigators thanks the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation for their support for this innovative project.

VA Career Development Award (July 2018)
Dr. Jacobs has received a VA Career Development Award II starting July 1, 2018, to support research into the role of the microbiome in mediating weight loss in obese veterans treated with a high protein diet. He thanks them for their generous support.

UCLA Allergy and Immunology Seminar Series (December 2017)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk at the UCLA Allergy and Immunology Seminar on December 8, 2017, entitled “Defining a Pre-disease Microbial Risk State for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”

Gut Bacteria Forecast Whether IBS Patients Will Benefit from Therapy (June 2018)
Helio reported (June 12, 2018) on UCLA research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2018 finding that certain bacteria in the gut microbiome helped predict whether cognitive behavioral therapy could reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome. Dr. Jonathan Jacobs, an assistant professor in the UCLA Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases, was quoted. 

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation Career Development Award (July 2017)
Dr. Jacobs has received a Career Development Award from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation starting July 1, 2017. He thanks them for their generous support for his research into the role of the microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease.

Oral Presentation at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2017 (May 2017)
An abstract submitted by Dr. Jacobs was selected for oral presentation during the Research Forum on the Role of the Gut Microbiome in Immune and Inflammatory Diseases held on May 7, 2017, during DDW 2017. It was entitled "Crohn's disease, obesity, and high Crohn's disease genetic risk are associated with parallel changes in the microbiome of the cecal and sigmoid mucosal-luminal interface."

Greater Los Angeles Area VA Department of Medicine Meeting (April 2017)
Dr. Jacobs presented his VA-based research in a talk entitled “Translational Microbiome research at the VA” at the Greater Los Angeles Area VA Department of Medicine meeting on April 13, 2017.

ACS Nano - Kavli Futures Symposium (March 2017)
ACS Nano is hosting a microbiome-themed symposium on March 30, 2017. Dr. Jacobs will give a talk entitled “Defining a Pre-disease Microbial Risk State for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”

Older Americans Independence Center Seminar Series (February 2017)
Dr. Jacobs gave a seminar on “The intestinal microbiome and its role in inflammatory disease” for the Older Americans Independence Center on February 10, 2017.

G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience Symposium 2017 (February 2017)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk on the UCLA Microbiome Center for this year's CNSR Symposium, “Bringing the Brain Back into Medicine: Focus on Obesity, Microbiome and Women's Health,” on February 3, 2017

Accepted for Publication in Gut Microbes (January 2017)
"Microbial, metabolomic, and immunologic dynamics in a relapsing genetic mouse model of colitis induced by T-synthase deficiency" was accepted for publication in Gut Microbes. Dr. Jacobs is first author with his mentor Dr. Jonathan Braun as senior author.

Best Basic Science Abstract Award at the 2016 Advances in IBD (2016)
Dr. Jacobs received an award for Best Basic Science Abstract for his poster entitled “Crohn's disease, obesity, and high Crohn's disease genetic risk are associated with parallel changes in the microbiome of the cecal and sigmoid mucosal-luminal interface” at the 2016 Advances in Inflammatory Bowel Disease conference sponsored by the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America.

The American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Posted Blog on Recent CMGH Article - "Do Relatives of Patients with IBD Also Have Intestinal Dysbiosis?" (November 2016)
The intestinal microbiota of many healthy, first-degree relatives of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is dysbiotic, signifying a pre-disease state, low-level inflammation, and susceptibility to IBD, researchers report in the November issue of Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.

UCLA Department of Medicine Grand Rounds (November 2016)
Dr. Jacobs presented Grand Rounds in the Tampkin Auditorium on November 2, 2016, from 8:30-9:30 am.

Accepted for Publication in Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility (January 2017)
"Chronic early-life stress in rat pups alters basal corticosterone, intestinal permeability and fecal microbiota at weaning: influence of sex" was accepted for publication in the Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility. Dr. Jacobs is co-first author with Nabila Moussaoui from Dr. Yvette Taché's lab.

UCLA Department of Medicine Research Day (October 2016)
Dr. Jacobs gave a talk entitled "Defining a Pre-disease Microbial Risk State for Inflammatory Bowel Disease" during the morning plenary session of the UCLA Department of Medicine Research Day on October 1, 2016.

Accepted for Publication in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology (November 2016)
"A Disease-Associated Microbial and Metabolomics State in Relatives of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients" was accepted for publication in Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology. Dr. Jacobs is first author with his mentor Dr. Braun as senior author. The article is accompanied by a commentary written by Mark Frey entitled "Disease-Associated Microbial Communities in Healthy Relatives: A Bacteria-Filled Crystal Ball?" The results are also discussed in GI and Hepatology News > 

West Los Angeles VA Grand Rounds (September 2016)
Dr. Jacobs will present Medicine Grand Rounds at the West Los Angeles VA Hospital, building 500, room 3231, at noon on September 21, 2016.

Accepted for Publication in Gastroenterology (October 2016)
"A Pleiotropic Missense Variant in SLC39A8 Is Associated With Crohn's Disease and Human Gut Microbiome Composition" was accepted for publication in Gastroenterology. Dr. Jacobs was the lead microbiome author in this large collaborative study. The study is accompanied by a press release >  

UCLA Microbiome Center (July 2016)
Dr. Jonathan Jacobs gave a talk during the UCLA Microbiome Center Seminar on July 15, 2-3:30pm, in the CNSI 5th Floor Presentation Space.

Oral Presentation at Digestive Disease Week 2016 (May 2016)
An abstract submitted by Dr. Jacobs was selected for oral presentation during the Obesity Research Forum on May 23, 2016, at DDW 2016. It was entitled "A High Protein Diet Reduces Body Fat Mass and Alters the Gut Microbiome, with Expansion of Akkermansia, in a Rat Model of Diet-Induced Obesity."

Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit 2016 (March 2016)
Dr. Jacobs was selected to present his research at the Young Investigators Workshop on March 5, 2016, during the Gut Microbiota for Health World Summit 2016. His talk is titled "A disease-associated enterotype and metabotype in healthy relatives of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease patients."

G. Oppenheimer Center for Neurobiology of Stress and Resilience (CNSR)Symposium 2016 (February 2016)
Dr. Jacobs gave a state-of-the-art talk entitled "Defining a Pre-disease Microbial Risk State for Inflammatory Bowel Disease" for this year's microbiome-themed CNSR Symposium, Bringing the Brain Back into Medicine: Focus on the Gut Microbiome, on February 19, 2016.