Her goal is to use microbiome signatures to predict the development of malignancy and eventually intervene before it materializes. Dr. Walther-Antonio is exploring the microbial-host interactions by bridging environmental microbiology methodologies and single-cell technologies utilized in astrobiological pursuits with clinical platforms with translational potential to patient care. Her research places interdisciplinarity at its core, with her research team being composed of scientists, physicians and engineers oriented in a problem-solving direction.
Dr. Walther-Antonio's research enables the study of the microbiome, an intrinsic yet understudied component of human health. Microbial cells, genes and metabolic capacity in our body outnumber those of our own cells and therefore are expected to play a vast role in the maintenance of health, disease predisposition, progression and outcome. The work Dr. Walther-Antonio is developing in endometrial and ovarian cancers may lead to predictive and early detection tests, as well as intervention before cancer develops. Because manipulating the microbiome is less challenging than manipulating our own cells, this is a very promising therapeutic target.
For more information, please see Dr. Walther-Antonio’s website.
