Research summary
Human gut microbiota composition and host-microbe interactions—particularly the mucin-degrading bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila and fecal microbiota transplantation—organize this research output. A 2004 International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology paper isolated Akkermansia muciniphila strain MucT from human feces by dilution-to-extinction in anaerobic medium with gastric mucin as the sole carbon and nitrogen source, describing it as a Gram-negative, strictly anaerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming oval bacterium that produces a capsule on mucin medium and aggregates, growing on limited sugars including N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylgalactosamine [4]. A 2013 PNAS paper demonstrated that Akkermansia muciniphila abundance decreases in obese and type-2-diabetic mice and humans, with cross-talk between A. muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controlling diet-induced obesity by restoring mucus-layer thickness and gut-barrier function [1]. A 2013 NEJM trial randomized recurrent Clostridium difficile infection patients to vancomycin alone, vancomycin with bowel lavage, or duodenal infusion of donor feces preceded by short-course vancomycin and lavage; the primary endpoint was diarrhea resolution without relapse, with the trial demonstrating the efficacy of donor-feces infusion [2]. A 2022 Gut review synthesized mechanistic insights into the gut microbiome and health, linking microbiota deviations to obesity, type 2 diabetes, hepatic steatosis, inflammatory bowel diseases, and multiple cancers through metagenomic, metabolomic, lipidomic, and metatranscriptomic data [3]. A 2017 Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews article reviewed infant gut-microbiota colonization immediately after birth, the role of human-milk glycans in driving bifidobacterial-species colonization, and health implications of early commensal-host coevolution [5].
Recent publications
- Enterotypes of the human gut microbiomeDOI
- Richness of human gut microbiome correlates with metabolic markersDOI
- Cross-talk between Akkermansia muciniphila and intestinal epithelium controls diet-induced obesityDOI
- Duodenal Infusion of Donor Feces for Recurrent Clostridium difficileDOI
- Transfer of Intestinal Microbiota From Lean Donors Increases Insulin Sensitivity in Individuals With Metabolic SyndromeDOI
- Gut microbiome and health: mechanistic insightsDOI
- Supplementation with Akkermansia muciniphila in overweight and obese human volunteers: a proof-of-concept exploratory studyDOI
- A purified membrane protein from Akkermansia muciniphila or the pasteurized bacterium improves metabolism in obese and diabetic miceDOI
- Akkermansia muciniphila gen. nov., sp. nov., a human intestinal mucin-degrading bacteriumDOI
- The First Microbial Colonizers of the Human Gut: Composition, Activities, and Health Implications of the Infant Gut MicrobiotaDOI
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How to apply
Email Willem M. de Vos 6-12 months before your application deadline. Read several recent papers and reference specific work in your message. Use our how to email a Japanese professor guide for the proven email structure.
For applications via MEXT scholarship: see our MEXT 2027 complete guide and university-specific University Recommendation track.
External profiles
- ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0273-3166
- OpenAlex: openalex.org
Profile compiled from public sources (Researchmap, OpenAlex, The University of Tokyo faculty directory). Last refreshed 2026-05. Report incorrect information.