Purdue researcher maps how gut microbes interact with food
06-02-2026
What if the foods we eat could be used to support specific beneficial microbes in the gut?
New research from Purdue University is helping scientists better understand how the human gut microbiome processes nutrients — and how diet could someday be tailored to improve health.
In a study published in the journal Microbiome, Tong Wang, assistant professor in Purdue’s Department of Biological Sciences, mapped interactions between gut microbes, dietary compounds and metabolites using microbial genomes and metabolic data.
The human gut contains hundreds to thousands of microbial species that help break down food and influence many aspects of health. But researchers still do not fully understand which microbes process specific nutrients.
“Our gut microbiome is like a city,” Wang said. “Different microbes perform different jobs, much like chefs, builders or recyclers. Food provides the raw materials. Some foods are general supplies that many microbes can use, while others are specialized ingredients that only a few microbes can process.”
Using large-scale biological genomes and computational modeling, Wang identified patterns in how microbes use nutrients. The study found that many microbes — particularly closely related microbes from the same genus — can perform similar metabolic functions, creating redundancy within the microbiome. At the same time, some dietary compounds were found to be highly specialized and usable by only a small number of microbes.
That discovery could eventually help researchers selectively support beneficial microbes through diet.
“If we know which foods feed specific microbes, we may be able to design more targeted nutritional strategies,” Wang said.
The work could contribute to advances in precision nutrition, synbiotics — combinations of probiotics and targeted nutrients — and microbiome-based therapies for disease.
Wang’s broader research focuses on understanding how microbial communities are organized and function, especially the human gut microbiome. His lab combines mathematical modeling, ecological theory and machine learning to study how microbes interact, how diet shapes microbial communities and whether those communities can be predicted or controlled.
The long-term goal is to enable precision microbiome interventions, including personalized nutrition and microbiome-based therapies.
Wang is affiliated with Purdue’s Department of Biological Sciences and Purdue Applied Microbiome Sciences.
About the Department of Biological Sciences at Purdue University
The Department of Biological Sciences is the largest life sciences department at Purdue University. As part of Purdue One Health, we are dedicated to pioneering scientific discoveries and transformative education at the cutting edge of innovation. From molecules to cells, from tissues to organisms, from populations to ecosystems- we bring together multiple perspectives, integrating across biological scales to advance our understanding of life and tackle the world’s most pressing challenges. Learn more at bio.purdue.edu.
Written by: Alisha Willett, Communications Specialist, amwillet@purdue.edu
Contributors: Tong Wang, wang7403@purdue.edu