Elaine Holmes

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Elaine Holmes
Education University of London
Employer Murdoch University
Known forMetabolomic chemistry
TitleProfessor
Website https://researchportal.murdoch.edu.au/esploro/profile/elaine_holmes/output/publication?institution=61MUN_INST

Elaine Holmes FAA is an Australian systems biologist, and chemist, who was elected a fellow of the Australian Academy of Sciences in 2023. She was awarded an ARC Laureate Fellowship in 2020. She is a computational biologist working in metabolomic phenotyping, [1] spectrometry and translational clinical medicine, [2] at Murdoch University, and also holds a chair at Imperial College. [3] [4]

Contents

Education and career

Holmes received a BSc in biology from Goldsmiths College, University of London, and a PhD in analytical chemistry from Birkbeck College, at the University of London. [5] She was the first person in her family to attend university. [6] At Imperial College, Holmes was head of department of the Division of Computational and Systems Medicine, as well as a professor of chemical biology, located within the Department of Surgery and Cancer. [7] She was a professor of Computational Science at Murdoch University in 2024. [8]

Holmes is the Director of the Centre for Computational & Systems medicine, and Director and co-founder of Melico, a precision nutrition start-up.

Holmes was awarded a $3 million fellowship from the Australian Research Council for aging and biochemistry research. Her research involves gut microbial influences on human health, in particular, examining liver, metabolomic and gastrointestinal diseases. These diseases include diabetes and dementia. [9]

Holmes is on the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, and Analytical Biochemistry. [7] Her research has been described by the BBC, including impacts on the body from chamomile tea [10] and how herbal mixtures can help impact gut microbiome health. [11]

Publications

Holmes has over 92,000 citations, as at June 2024, according to Google Scholar. [12] Her H-index is 147, and she has publications in Science, [13] Nature Reviews, [14] Nature Protocols, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, [15] and Nature. [16] Holmes has also published with Fiona Woods, surgeon and burns specialist. [17]

Select publications include:

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human microbiome</span> Microorganisms in or on human skin and biofluids

The human microbiome is the aggregate of all microbiota that reside on or within human tissues and biofluids along with the corresponding anatomical sites in which they reside, including the gastrointestinal tract, skin, mammary glands, seminal fluid, uterus, ovarian follicles, lung, saliva, oral mucosa, conjunctiva, and the biliary tract. Types of human microbiota include bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses. Though micro-animals can also live on the human body, they are typically excluded from this definition. In the context of genomics, the term human microbiome is sometimes used to refer to the collective genomes of resident microorganisms; however, the term human metagenome has the same meaning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metabolomics</span> Scientific study of chemical processes involving metabolites

Metabolomics is the scientific study of chemical processes involving metabolites, the small molecule substrates, intermediates, and products of cell metabolism. Specifically, metabolomics is the "systematic study of the unique chemical fingerprints that specific cellular processes leave behind", the study of their small-molecule metabolite profiles. The metabolome represents the complete set of metabolites in a biological cell, tissue, organ, or organism, which are the end products of cellular processes. Messenger RNA (mRNA), gene expression data, and proteomic analyses reveal the set of gene products being produced in the cell, data that represents one aspect of cellular function. Conversely, metabolic profiling can give an instantaneous snapshot of the physiology of that cell, and thus, metabolomics provides a direct "functional readout of the physiological state" of an organism. There are indeed quantifiable correlations between the metabolome and the other cellular ensembles, which can be used to predict metabolite abundances in biological samples from, for example mRNA abundances. One of the ultimate challenges of systems biology is to integrate metabolomics with all other -omics information to provide a better understanding of cellular biology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gut microbiota</span> Community of microorganisms in the gut

Gut microbiota, gut microbiome, or gut flora are the microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, fungi, and viruses, that live in the digestive tracts of animals. The gastrointestinal metagenome is the aggregate of all the genomes of the gut microbiota. The gut is the main location of the human microbiome. The gut microbiota has broad impacts, including effects on colonization, resistance to pathogens, maintaining the intestinal epithelium, metabolizing dietary and pharmaceutical compounds, controlling immune function, and even behavior through the gut–brain axis.

<i>Bacteroides</i> Genus of bacteria

Bacteroides is a genus of Gram-negative, obligate anaerobic bacteria. Bacteroides species are non endospore-forming bacilli, and may be either motile or nonmotile, depending on the species. The DNA base composition is 40–48% GC. Unusual in bacterial organisms, Bacteroides membranes contain sphingolipids. They also contain meso-diaminopimelic acid in their peptidoglycan layer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Germ-free animal</span> Multi-cellular organisms that have no microorganisms living in or on them

Germ-free organisms are multi-cellular organisms that have no microorganisms living in or on them. Such organisms are raised using various methods to control their exposure to viral, bacterial or parasitic agents. When known microbiota are introduced to a germ-free organism, it usually is referred to as a gnotobiotic organism, however technically speaking, germ-free organisms are also gnotobiotic because the status of their microbial community is known. Due to lacking a microbiome, many germ-free organisms exhibit health deficits such as defects in the immune system and difficulties with energy acquisition. Typically germ-free organisms are used in the study of a microbiome where careful control of outside contaminants is required.

Dysbiosis is characterized by a disruption to the microbiome resulting in an imbalance in the microbiota, changes in their functional composition and metabolic activities, or a shift in their local distribution. For example, a part of the human microbiota such as the skin flora, gut flora, or vaginal flora, can become deranged, with normally dominating species underrepresented and normally outcompeted or contained species increasing to fill the void. Similar to the human gut microbiome, diverse microbes colonize the plant rhizosphere, and dysbiosis in the rhizosphere, can negatively impact plant health. Dysbiosis is most commonly reported as a condition in the gastrointestinal tract or plant rhizosphere.

Jeffrey Ivan Gordon is a biologist and the Dr. Robert J. Glaser Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology at Washington University in St. Louis. He is internationally known for his research on gastrointestinal development and how gut microbial communities affect normal intestinal function, shape various aspects of human physiology including our nutritional status, and affect predisposition to diseases. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, and the American Philosophical Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbiota</span> Community of microorganisms

Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, mutualistic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found to be crucial for immunologic, hormonal, and metabolic homeostasis of their host.

Orthogonal Signal Correction (OSC) is a spectral preprocessing technique that removes variation from a data matrix X that is orthogonal to the response matrix Y. OSC was introduced by researchers at the University of Umea in 1998 and has since found applications in domains including metabolomics.

An enterotype is a classification of living organisms based on the bacteriological composition of their gut microbiota. The discovery of three human enterotypes was announced in the April 2011 issue of Nature by Peer Bork and his associates. They found that enterotypes are not dictated by age, gender, body weight, or national divisions. There are indications that long-term diet influences enterotype. Type 1 is characterized by high levels of Bacteroides, type 2 has few Bacteroides but Prevotella are common, and type 3 has high levels of Ruminococcus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jens Nielsen</span> Danish biologist

Jens Nielsen is the CEO of BioInnovation Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark, and professor of systems biology at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden. He is also an adjunct professor at the Technical University of Denmark. Nielsen is the most cited researcher in the field of metabolic engineering, and he is the founding president of the International Metabolic Engineering Society. He has additionally founded several biotech companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human virome</span> Total collection of viruses in and on the human body

The human virome is the total collection of viruses in and on the human body. Viruses in the human body may infect both human cells and other microbes such as bacteria. Some viruses cause disease, while others may be asymptomatic. Certain viruses are also integrated into the human genome as proviruses or endogenous viral elements.

Microbiota-accessible carbohydrates (MACs) are carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion by a host's metabolism, and are made available for gut microbes, as prebiotics, to ferment or metabolize into beneficial compounds, such as short chain fatty acids. The term, ‘‘microbiota-accessible carbohydrate’’ contributes to a conceptual framework for investigating and discussing the amount of metabolic activity that a specific food or carbohydrate can contribute to a host's microbiota.

Jeremy K. Nicholson is a professor and pro vice chancellor of Health Sciences at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia, where he leads the Australian National Phenome Centre. He is also an emeritus professor of Biological Chemistry at Imperial College London and was the director and principal investigator of the MRC-NIHR National Phenome Centre until 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Microbiome</span> Microbial community assemblage and activity

A microbiome is the community of microorganisms that can usually be found living together in any given habitat. It was defined more precisely in 1988 by Whipps et al. as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity". In 2020, an international panel of experts published the outcome of their discussions on the definition of the microbiome. They proposed a definition of the microbiome based on a revival of the "compact, clear, and comprehensive description of the term" as originally provided by Whipps et al., but supplemented with two explanatory paragraphs. The first explanatory paragraph pronounces the dynamic character of the microbiome, and the second explanatory paragraph clearly separates the term microbiota from the term microbiome.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pharmacomicrobiomics</span>

Pharmacomicrobiomics, proposed by Prof. Marco Candela for the ERC-2009-StG project call, and publicly coined for the first time in 2010 by Rizkallah et al., is defined as the effect of microbiome variations on drug disposition, action, and toxicity. Pharmacomicrobiomics is concerned with the interaction between xenobiotics, or foreign compounds, and the gut microbiome. It is estimated that over 100 trillion prokaryotes representing more than 1000 species reside in the gut. Within the gut, microbes help modulate developmental, immunological and nutrition host functions. The aggregate genome of microbes extends the metabolic capabilities of humans, allowing them to capture nutrients from diverse sources. Namely, through the secretion of enzymes that assist in the metabolism of chemicals foreign to the body, modification of liver and intestinal enzymes, and modulation of the expression of human metabolic genes, microbes can significantly impact the ingestion of xenobiotics.

Timothy David Spector is a British epidemiologist, medical doctor, and science writer, working on the relationship between nutrition, the gut microbiome, and health. He argues against low-fat diets and fad diets, and instead advocates for a Mediterranean-style diet that is heavily plant-based, high in fibre, limits ultra-processed foods, and includes a diversity of plants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eran Elinav</span> Israeli immunologist

Eran Elinav is an Israeli immunologist and microbiota researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the DKFZ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evolution of the human oral microbiome</span>

The evolution of the human oral microbiome is the study of microorganisms in the oral cavity and how they have adapted over time. There are recent advancements in ancient dental research that have given insight to the evolution of the human oral microbiome. Using these techniques it is now known what metabolite classes have been preserved and the difference in genetic diversity that exists from ancient to modern microbiota. The relationship between oral microbiota and its human host has changed and this transition can directly be linked to common diseases in human evolutionary past. Evolutionary medicine provides a framework for reevaluating oral health and disease and biological anthropology provides the context to identify the ancestral human microbiome. These disciplines together give insights into the oral microbiome and can potentially help contribute to restoring and maintaining oral health in the future.

Lesley Hoyles is a Welsh microbiologist who is Professor of Microbiome and Systems Biology at Nottingham Trent University. She combines in vivo and in vitro microbiology and bioinformatics research to better understand how the gut microbiota influences health and disease.

References

  1. "Professor Elaine Holmes". HDR UK. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  2. "Speakers webpage" (PDF).
  3. 1 2 "Elaine Holmes". www.science.org.au. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "ARC Laureate".
  5. "Research Gate".
  6. White, Merran (24 September 2020). "Meet Dr Elaine Holmes: Microbiome-diet expert". Future Food Systems. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  7. 1 2 "Imperial UK". profiles.imperial.ac.uk. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  8. "Our people - Perron Institute". www.perroninstitute.org. 26 October 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  9. "ARC".
  10. "BBC news".
  11. Callaway, Ewen (18 August 2010). "How an 1,800-year-old herbal mix heals the gut". Nature. doi:10.1038/news.2010.417. ISSN   1476-4687.
  12. "Elaine Holmes". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  13. Nicholson, Jeremy K.; Holmes, Elaine; Kinross, James; Burcelin, Remy; Gibson, Glenn; Jia, Wei; Pettersson, Sven (8 June 2012). "Host-Gut Microbiota Metabolic Interactions". Science. 336 (6086): 1262–1267. doi:10.1126/science.1223813. ISSN   0036-8075.
  14. "Metabonomics: a platform for studying drug toxicity and gene function". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  15. Smith, Michelle I.; Yatsunenko, Tanya; Manary, Mark J.; Trehan, Indi; Mkakosya, Rajhab; Cheng, Jiye; Kau, Andrew L.; Rich, Stephen S.; Concannon, Patrick; Mychaleckyj, Josyf C.; Liu, Jie; Houpt, Eric; Li, Jia V.; Holmes, Elaine; Nicholson, Jeremy (2013). "Gut Microbiomes of Malawian Twin Pairs Discordant for Kwashiorkor". Science. 339 (6119): 548–554. doi:10.1126/science.1229000. ISSN   0036-8075. PMC   3667500 .
  16. "Human metabolic phenotype diversity and its association with diet and blood pressure". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  17. 1 2 Ryan, Monique J.; Raby, Edward; Whiley, Luke; Masuda, Reika; Lodge, Samantha; Nitschke, Philipp; Maker, Garth L.; Wist, Julien; Holmes, Elaine; Wood, Fiona M.; Nicholson, Jeremy K.; Fear, Mark W.; Gray, Nicola (21 November 2023). "Nonsevere Burn Induces a Prolonged Systemic Metabolic Phenotype Indicative of a Persistent Inflammatory Response Postinjury". Journal of Proteome Research. doi:10.1021/acs.jproteome.3c00516. ISSN   1535-3893.
  18. "Tandfonline".
  19. Holmes, Elaine; Loo, Ruey Leng; Stamler, Jeremiah; Bictash, Magda; Yap, Ivan K. S.; Chan, Queenie; Ebbels, Tim; De Iorio, Maria; Brown, Ian J.; Veselkov, Kirill A.; Daviglus, Martha L.; Kesteloot, Hugo; Ueshima, Hirotsugu; Zhao, Liancheng; Nicholson, Jeremy K. (2008). "Human metabolic phenotype diversity and its association with diet and blood pressure". Nature. 453 (7193): 396–400. doi:10.1038/nature06882. ISSN   1476-4687. PMC   6556779 .
  20. "WITWA". www.witwa.org.au/. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  21. "Top award for Imperial Surgery & Cancer Professor | Imperial News | Imperial College London". Imperial News. 10 May 2018. Retrieved 22 June 2024.