Lecturer in Microbiome Science, Blizard Institute, Queen Mary University of London. Studying host-microbiome interactions in early life 🍏Nutritionist 🔬Scientist 🎙️Public speakerhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lwbnnooiuk26🔬🦠👶 This month we launched the NESTED study. We will recruit 30 children in London before they start nursery & follow them for 12 weeks after. We will examine whether their nasopharyngeal microbiome predicts common infections! @blizardinstitute.bsky.social @qmulfmd.bsky.social @qmul.bsky.social13 Aug 2025 10:48 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lwbnnooiuk26https://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lqwiomjfkk2d🤱Preterm birth is the top cause of child mortality. Our team from @qmulfmd.bsky.social report in @nejm.org that an antibiotic (cotrimoxazole) during pregnancy doesn't increase birthweight but may reduce preterm birth by 40%. Work ongoing to study maternal microbiomes! https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa240811406 Jun 2025 09:14 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lqwiomjfkk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lhbwaleg6k2ihttps://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00319-503 Feb 2025 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhbwaleg6k2ihttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lcxiaubens2h🔬🧫 We have a funded PhD fellowship, co-supervised by myself, Tina Chowdhury & @docbruggsbunny.bsky.social @qmulse.bsky.social @qmulfmd.bsky.social that will involve developing novel organ-on-chip technologies to study the vaginal microbiome. Deadline 6th January! https://www.cpm.qmul.ac.uk/cdt/applications/2025/10 Dec 2024 14:46 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcxiaubens2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbu4dijpn22w☕ Drinking coffee is associated with significant changes the gut microbiome, particularly increased Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus, & elevated quinic acid in blood. Importantly, this is replicated across geographies. Interesting work from @cibiocm.bsky.social https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-024-01858-926 Nov 2024 13:10 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbu4dijpn22whttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbk7el6ge22cA important discussion on scientists as political advocates https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adt719422 Nov 2024 14:38 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbk7el6ge22chttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjrjcijax2c🦠👬 Social networks influence your gut microbiome, including family, friends and even friends' friends. The more time you spend with someone, the more similar your microbiomes... Fascinating work from @fbeghini.bsky.social & @nachristakis.bsky.social https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08222-122 Nov 2024 10:30 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjrjcijax2chttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjqulexrk2k✖️->🦋 For all those migrating over here from Twitter/X, you can migrate all of your previous tweets to your bsky account for a small cost (~$5) using BlueArk! blueark.app https://blueark.app/22 Nov 2024 10:18 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjqulexrk2khttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbfh6os7bk2z🦠🔬🚨 I have created a starter pack for those involved in research related to human microbiomes (there are other excellent microbiome packs by @claesengroup.bsky.social but this differentiates human from environmental/plant microbiomes). Let me know if you would like to be added! go.bsky.app/3eeA7BP [contains quote post or other embedded content]20 Nov 2024 17:14 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbfh6os7bk2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjn56c6ir2e🦋 Like many other scientists, I have moved over to the other platform (same handle). I will continue to tweet here as well, as science communication will remain as important here as ever. However, for unfiltered scientific content/engagement, the other platform seems promising!20 Nov 2024 16:34 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjn56c6ir2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbcspwg6ls2h🔬🦠 Nice insights on next steps for microbiome-targeted therapies from @ArrietaLab @BackhedLab @Honda1Kenya & others. Lots of potential for phage, defined consortia, next-gen probiotics, postbiotics19 Nov 2024 16:03 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbcspwg6ls2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjn5a33rs2t🔬🦠 Nice insights on next steps for microbiome-targeted therapies from @ArrietaLab @BackhedLab @Honda1Kenya & others. Lots of potential for phage, defined consortia, next-gen probiotics, postbiotics19 Nov 2024 16:01 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjn5a33rs2thttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3latnfd2u772sThanks to @claesengroup.bsky.social for a great microbiome starter pack! There are currently 2 lists of excellent microbiome scientists to follow. Check them out! 🦠🧫🔬 [contains quote post or other embedded content]13 Nov 2024 15:17 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3latnfd2u772shttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3latnbfn7oh2s👋 Hello to all new followers! I am interested in how maternal microbiomes during pregnancy influence birth outcomes and how infant gut microbiome influence child growth and infection 💩🦠🫄👶. My research avails of large mother-infant cohorts in sub-Saharan Africa and in vitro models of the gut barrier13 Nov 2024 15:15 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3latnbfn7oh2shttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjn5bffvt2aA new bank of >2000 scientific/medical images and icons for free use in figures and presentations just released by @NIAIDNews @NIH. Very useful for early career researchers who can’t afford @BioRender https://bioart.niaid.nih.gov/29 Oct 2024 14:37 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjn5bffvt2ahttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjn5cwboh2w🍎🍕A nice summary of how diet can influence your immune system https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03334-017 Oct 2024 09:05 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjn5cwboh2whttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjn5dmlmk2t🤯 Tuft cells act as regenerative stem cells in the human intestine! https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07952-603 Oct 2024 10:19 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjn5dmlmk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjnhb23zt2j👶🦠Infant microbiomes have 5 different trajectories of development over the first 2 years of life, driven strongly by initial microbiome colonization and environmental exposures https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52561-601 Oct 2024 10:32 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjnhb23zt2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjnhbgju42y📜📷 Check out our new paper from @ZvitamboZim @MangesLab @blizard_inst & others showing that microbiome composition at weaning affects efficacy of a nutritional intervention to reduce stunting. A bifidobacteria-dominant microbiome is not always...27 Sep 2024 14:48 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjnhbgju42yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjnhbsau42yUnfortunately, data around "Blue Zones" are flawed. Areas around the world with high numbers of centenarians and supercentenarians (>110 years old) are likely drievn by poor record national record keeping such as lack of birth...20 Sep 2024 09:22 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjnhbsau42yhttps://bsky.app/profile/ruairirobertson.bsky.social/post/3lbjnhbtozz2t🎓I am happy to support PhD applications for the Commonwealth Scholarships for students from eligible countries (deadline 15th October). If you have some experience with microbiome bioinformatics or with bacterial and human cell culture, send me your...19 Sep 2024 11:03 +0000at://did:plc:end66jc7mu3yklhatmh2bjbb/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbjnhbtozz2t