Many problems in microbiology can be insightfully approached from the viewpoint of systems biology. The interface between evolution and systems biology delivers broader notions of how biological evolution operates on metabolic, protein-protein and regulatory networks. This research expands the understanding of future limits and challenges to treat complex diseases, such as cancer or gastrointestinal disorders.
The human body has more than 10 times as many microbial cells as human cells. Dr. Chia's lab studies how the human body works in conjunction with these trillions of microbial partners, or human microbiome, to promote health and prevent disease. Dr. Chia focuses on studying how the microbiome influences human health and can be used as both a biomarker and preventive measure for colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is both common and lethal, and it has plausible connections to several microbial agents. If the hypotheses of Dr. Chia and his team are proven correct, identifying microbiomes that cause cancer and finding ways to quantify that risk could be accomplished using a combination of modern computing and sequencing techniques. Manipulating the gut microbiome using antibiotics, probiotics or prebiotics will help attenuate that risk, which would radically change the way colon cancer is treated.
