Dong Laboratory

Key investigator

• Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD

Precision health and the gut-liver axis

The Dong Laboratory is focused on the advancement of the clinical care of hepatology through translational research. In line with this goal, the lab conducts multidisciplinary studies at UCLA and at the West Los Angeles Veteran's Affair hospital in all aspects dealing with the gut-liver axis. The goal of the lab is to advance the understanding of the pathogenesis of obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease while at the same time creating new platforms to advance the field of precision health.

Current research projects

• Advancing precision health through the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence algorithm in the field of hepatology
• Understanding the interplay between the gut microbiome and adipocytes in the setting of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Using microbial biomarkers as a way to stratify HCC patients on immunotherapy  

Funding and support

• NIH T32 Grant - Department of Veterans Affairs
• GI Fellowship Seed Grant - UCLA Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Division of Digestive Diseases

In the news

• What should I eat while I take antibiotics? (2024)
  • Since penicillin was discovered in 1928, antibiotics have transformed once-life-threatening infections into treatable conditions. But in the process of wiping out the “bad” bacteria, they can decimate the “good” ones too. Fortunately, for most people, adverse effects on the gut microbiome are temporary, said Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, assistant clinical professor of medicine. If you are generally in good health, “you’ll likely recover on your own”, he said. Still, you can take actions to encourage that recovery. And while much of the research in this area is limited and in its early phases, it does suggest the most important action is paying attention to your diet. Read full article in The Straits Times(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Additional coverage in Red Hot(Link is external) (Link opens in new window)
• Antibiotics can mess with your gut: These foods can help (2024)
  • Since penicillin was discovered in 1928, antibiotics have transformed once life-threatening infections into treatable conditions. But in wiping out the “bad” bacteria, they can decimate the “good” ones, too. Fortunately, for most people, these effects on the gut microbiome are temporary, said Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center Biorepository Core. If you’re generally in good health, “you’ll likely recover on your own,” Dr. Dong said. Still, you can take actions to encourage that recovery. And while much of this research is limited and in early phases, it does suggest what is perhaps the most important element: paying attention to your diet. Learn more about what you should eat while taking antibiotics in The New York Times article(Link is external) (Link opens in new window)
• Discrimination can cause changes in the gut microbiome, study says (2024)
  • In a new study published in Frontiers in Microbiology, UCLA Health researchers have found that people who experienced discrimination had pro-inflammatory bacteria and gene activity in their gut microbiome that was different from those who did not experience discrimination. The researchers could also predict with 91% accuracy which study participants faced discrimination just by analyzing their gut microbiome using stool samples. Arpana Church, PhD, co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and co-lead author, said researchers tend to study the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is the body’s stress management system, to gauge how discrimination affects the body. But she and Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center Biorepository Core and co-lead author, were interested in how discrimination affects the brain-gut axis. “There’s a lot of research on how discrimination affects the HPA axis and how that leads to disease, but that’s only one part of the story,” Dong said. Read more in UCLA Health News & Insights(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) and Healthnews(Link is external) (Link opens in new window)
• UCLA study finds discriminatory experiences affect health of brain, body(Link is external) (2023)
  • "Discrimination is not just an issue for a person. It is not just an issue for a community or a racial or ethnic group. It is a public health issue.” Dr. Arpana Gupta is the co-director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and Dr. Tien S. Dong is a health sciences assistant clinical professor of medicine.
• Everyday experiences of racism can impact your brain-gut mcirobiome(Link is external). Arpana Gupta, PhD, and Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, interviewed by MSNBC (2023)
• How does racism make you sick?(Link is external) Arpana Gupta, PhD, and Tien S. Dong, MD, PhD, publish new research in Biological Psychiatry on how stress, racism and discrimination impact biology. (2022)
• Medscape(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) interviewed Dr. Dong on the link between liver injury and clotting disorders for COVID-19 patients. (2020)

Recent publications (peer-reviewed) - Full list of publications(Link is external)

1. Yang JC, Lagishetty V, Aja E, Arias-Jayo N, Chang C, Hauer M, Katzka W, Sedighian F, Koletic C, Liang F, Dong TS, Situ J, Troutman R, Buri H, Chute S, Simpson CA, Braun J, Jacob J, Jacobs JP. Biogeographical distribution of gut microbiome composition and function is partially recapitulated by fecal transplantation into germ-free mice(Link is external). The ISME Journal. 16 December 2024
2. Wang D, Baghoomian A, Zhang Z, Cui Y, Whang EC, Li X, Fraga J, Spellman R, Dong TS, Li W, Gupta A, Benhammou JN, Sallam T. Hepatic lipopolysaccharide binding protein partially uncouples inlammation from fibrosis in MAFLD(Link is external). J Clin Invest. 2024
3. Yang JO, Chittajallu P, Benhammou JN, Patel A, Pisegna JR, Tabibian J & Dong TS. Validation of a machine learning algorithm, EVendo, for presecting esophageal varices in hepatocellular carcinoma(Link is external). Digestive Diseases and Sciences. 19 June 2024
4. An E, Delgadillo DR, Yang J, Agarwal R, Labus JS, Pawar S, Leitman M, Kilpatrick LA, Bhatt RR, Vora P, Vaughan A, Dong TS & Gupta A. Stress-resilience impacts psychological wellbeing as evidenced by brain–gut microbiome interactions(Link is external). Nature Mental Health, 21 June 2024
5. Dong TS, Mayer EA. Advances in Brain-Gut-Microbiome Interactions: A Comprehensive Update on Signaling Mechanisms, Disorders, and Therapeutic Implications(Link is external). CMGH. February 7, 2024
6. Benhammou JN, Leng M, Shah SC, Cholankeril G, Dong TS, Patel AA, Tong MJ. Exposure to Agent Orange and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Amongh US Military Personnel(Link is external). JAMA Open Network. 2023;6(12):e2346380
7. Caremoli F, Huynh J, Lagishetty V, Markovic D, Braun J, Dong TS, Jacobs JP, Sternini C. Microbiota-Dependent Upregulation of Bitter Taste Receptor Subtypes in the Mouse Large Intestine in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity(Link is external). Nutrients. 2023 Sep 25
8. Bangaru S, Sundaresh, Lee A, Prause N, Hao F, Dong TS, Tincopa M, Cholankeril G, Rich NE, Kawamoto, Bhattacharya D, Han SB, Patel AA, Shaheen M & Benhammou JN. Predictive Algorithm for Hepatic Steatosis Detection Using Elastography Data in the Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Records(Link is external). Digestive Diseases & Sciences. 21 October 2023
9. Kilpatrick LA, Zhang K, Dong TS, Gee GC, Beltran-Sanchez H, Wang M, Labus LS, Naliboff BD, Mayer EA, Gupta A. Mediation of the association between disadvantaged neighborhoods and cortical microstructure by body mass index(Link is external). Nature. Article number 122 (2023)
10. Chen EY, Mahurkar-Joshi S, Liu C, Jaffe N, Labus JS, Dong TS, Gupta A, Patel S, Mayer EA, Chang L. The Association Between a Mediterranean Diet and Symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome(Link is external). Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 29 July 2023
11. Dong TS, Katzka W, Yang JC, Chang C, Arias-Jayo N, Lagishetty V, Balioulova A, Chen Y, Dutson E, Li Z, Mayer EA, Pisegna JR, Sanmiguel C, Jacobs JP. Microbial changes from bariatric surgery alters glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide and prevents fatty liver disease(Link is external). Gut Microbes. Volume February 15, 2023.
12. Dong TS, Guan M, Mayer EA, Stains J, Liu C, Vora P, Jacobs JP, Lagishetty V, Chang L, Barry RL, Gupta A. Obesity is associated with a distinct brain-gut microbiome signature that connects prevotella and bacteroides to the brain’s reward center(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Gut Microbes, 2022. In press
13. Hussain SK, Dong TS, Agopian V, Pisegna JR, Durazo FA, Enayati P, Sundaram V, Benhammou J, Noureddin M, Choi G, Ayoub W, Lagishetty V, Elashoff EM, Goodman MT, Jacobs JP. Dietary protein, fiber and coffee are associated with small intestine microbiome composition and diversity in patients with liver cirrhosis(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). In press. April 2020. Nutrients
14. Dong TS, Mayer EA, Osadchiy V, Chang C, Katzka W, Lagishetty V, Gonzalez K, Kalani A, Stains J, Jacobs JP, Longo V, Gupta A. A distinct brain-gut-microbiome profile exists for females with obesity and food addiction(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). In press. Obesity
15. Dong TS, Katzka W, Lagishetty V, Luu K, Hauer M, Pisegna J, Jacobs JP. A microbial signature identifies advanced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease mainly due to NAFLD(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Sci Rep. 2020 Feb 17;10(1):2771. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59535-w. PubMed PMID: 32066758; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC7026172
16. Basak SK, Bera A, Yoon AJ, Morselli M, Jeong C, Tosevska A, Dong TS, Eklund M, Russ E, Nasser H, Lagishetty V, Guo R, Sajed D, Mudgal S, Mehta P, Avila L, Srivastava M, Faull K, Jacobs J, Pellegrini M, Shin DS, Srivatsan ES, Wang MB. A randomized, phase 1, placebo-controlled trial of APG-157 in oral cancer demonstrates systemic absorption and an inhibitory effect on cytokines and tumor-associated microbes(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Cancer. 2020 Feb 5;. doi: 10.1002/cncr.32644. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 32022261
17. Dong TS, Hui-Hua Chang, Meg Hauer, et al. Metformin Alters the Duodenal Microbiome and Decreases the Incidence of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Promoted by Diet-Induced Obesity(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). AJP-GI. 2019 Sep 23. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00170.2019
18. Dong TS, Vu JP, Oh S, Sanford D, Pisegna JR, Germano P. Intraperitoneal Treatment of Kisspeptin Suppresses Appetite and Energy Expenditure and Alters Gastrointestinal Hormones in Mice(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Dig Dis Sci. 2019 Nov 15;. doi: 10.1007/s10620-019-05950-7. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 31729619
19. Hakimian J, Dong TS, et al. Dietary Supplementation with Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Reduces Opioid-Seeking Behaviors and Alters the Gut Microbiome(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Nutrients. Aug 14;11(8). pii: E1900
20. Dong TS, Jacobs J, Hussain S. Microbial Profiles of Cirrhosis in the Human Small Intestine(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Current Gastroenterology Reports. 2019 Aug 23;21(10):50
21. Dong TS, Jacobs JP. Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and the Gut Microbiome: Are Bacteria Responsible for Fatty Liver?(Link is external) (Link opens in new window) Exp Biol Med. 2019 Apr;244(6):408-418
22. Dong TS, Kalani A, Aby E, et al. Machine Learning-Based Development and Validation of a Scoring System for Screening High-Risk Esophageal Varices(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). CGH. 2019 Jan 29. pii: S1542-3565(19)30072-2. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2019.01.025
23. Dong TS, Gupta A. Influence of Early Life, Diet and the Environment on the Microbiome(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). CGH. May 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.cgh.2018.08.067
24. Jacobs, J, Dong T, et al. Microbiome and Bile Acid Profiles in Duodenal Aspirates from Cirrhotics: The Microbiome, Microbial Markers and Liver Disease Study(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Hepatol Res. 2018 Jun 20. doi: 10.1111/hepr.13207
25. Benhammou J, Dong T, et al. Race Affects SVR12 in a Large and Ethnically Diverse Hepatitis C Infected Patient Population Following Treatment with Direct Acting Antivirals: Analysis of a Single Center Department of Veterans Affairs Cohort(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). Pharmacol Res Perspect. 2018 Feb 22;6(2):e00379
26. Dong T, et al. Metabolic Syndrome Does Not Affect Sustained Virological Response of Direct-Acting Antivirals While Hepatitis C Clearance Improves Hemoglobin A1c(Link is external) (Link opens in new window). World J Hepatol. 2018 Sep 27;10(9):612-621

About Dr. Dong

Dr. Dong graduated with distinction from Stanford University with a BS in biological sciences. He subsequently received his MD from the University of Chicago. He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Chicago, where he stayed on as faculty for an additional year as a liver hospitalist. While at the University of Chicago, he trained in the laboratory of Dr. Eugene Chang where he investigated the role of the gut microbiome on microRNAs and colon cancer. He then joined UCLA as a gastroenterology fellow in 2016 and continued his research training at UCLA through the Specialty Training and Advanced Research (STAR) program under the mentorship of Dr. Joseph Pisegna and Dr. Jonathan P. Jacobs. He finished his PhD in molecular, cellular, and integrative physiology in 2020. Dr. Dong is board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology.

Dr. Dong's research interest involves machine learning and how the intestinal microbiome influences the development of obesity, metabolic syndrome, chronic liver disease, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. He is currently the director of the Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center Biorepository Core and the Human Probiotic Core and a member of the Comprehensive Liver Research Center.  His clinical interests include cirrhosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, and other chronic liver diseases.

Past lab members

• William Katzka