Ibrahim Javed group
Gut-Brain Axis, Ageing and Therapeutics
Dr Ibrahim Javed is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Gut-Brain Axis, Ageing and Therapeutics Lab at La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences (LIMS) at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia.
Billions of proteins are produced in the human body to perform their normal biological functions. However, some of them can misfold and start aggregating into clumps (called Amyloids). This unwanted aggregation of proteins is biochemical hallmark of Ageing and the pathology of multiple human diseases such as Dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and type-2-diabetes. However, infectious gut-bacteria also use similar protein aggregation process to make their biofilms.
Research led by Dr Javed has discovered that protein aggregates formed by infectious gut microbes can access the brain through gut-brain axis and trigger the aggregation of human proteins. Similarly, some of the aggregation-prone proteins in human (Amyloid beta) is produced to tackle microbial biofilms and act as native defensins in humans. Dr Javed's research investigates how gut microbes work together, access the brain and other organs in the human body through their metabolites, how this impacts the biochemistry of human ageing and disease pathology, and how we can exploit this process for better therapeutic outcomes.
This research has been published in leading journals of the field including Nature Communications, Advanced Science, ACS Nano, ACS Nano Letters, Gut-Microbes and Molecular Aspects of Medicine. This research program is also highlighted by ALZFORUM and Dr Javed’s has been invited for a podcast with Duke University World Food Policy Centre. He has communicated this research to public through interviews with ABC Brisbane/Adelaide and Newcastle, Channel 10 news, Herald Sun and NewsGP for Physicians.
Publications
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