Suzanne Devkota, PhD

Suzanne Devkota, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Cedars-Sinai Division of Gastroenterology and Director of the Cedars Human microbiome Research Institute. Her lab studies the role of the gut microbiome in inflammatory and metabolic diseases originating in the GI tract. Her research into dietary impacts on host-microbe interactions has led to some of the first mechanistic insights into why diseases such as IBD, diabetes, and food allergies have rapidly increased over the last 50-100 years. Her ongoing research focuses on the role of pathobionts- symbiotic microbes that turn pathogenic under certain selective pressures- on host immune responses, and counteractive nutritional therapies. More recently her lab has been studying the microbial ecology of gut bacterial translocation in the human body, and the host response, particularly of adipose tissue. Devkota teams with Cedars-Sinai physicians to combine clinical and basic research utilizing patient samples, in vivo conventional and gnotobiotic animal models, and sequencing- and culture-based microbial methodologies to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying clinical phenomena. Her goal is to add a powerful new dimension to diagnosis and treatment through a better understanding of gut microbial contributions to disease.