Vanessa Leone

Circadian rhythms are an essential component for the metabolic health of nearly all living organisms, governing 24-hr rhythms in physiological processes. Disruption of circadian rhythms has been implicated in the development of metabolic syndrome, including type 2 diabetes. The gut microbiome also contributes to host health and is highly sensitive to environmental cues, exhibiting its own unique diurnal patterns in both community membership and functional outputs. The main goals of my independent research are to determine how the oscillatory nature of the gut microbiome impacts host circadian clock function, which influences the host’s metabolic set-point in the context of diet-induced obesity and diabetes.