Study finds that diet and gut microbes may influence inflammation in the brain

Working with pre-clinical models for multiple sclerosis (MS) and samples from MS patients, a team led by Broad Institute associate member Francisco Quintana of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that diet and gut bacteria may influence the activity of astrocytes – star-shaped glial cells in the brain and spinal cord involved in controlling inflammation and neurodegeneration. The work, which was reported in Nature Medicine, suggests potential new therapies for MS. Read more in Harvard Gazette, FierceBiotech, and the Boston Business Journal.