NIH Women's Health Research Roundtable: The Gut Microbiome and Women’s Health

The Women’s Health Research Roundtable presents a lecture series focused on a range of issues impacting women’s health. This virtual webinar will explore the gut microbiome and women's health.

2026-07-30T20:00:00Z 2026-07-30T19:00:00Z Speakers

Negar Fani, PhD, ABPP
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Emory University School of Medicine
Talk Title: Social Stressors and the Gut-brain Axis: Mechanisms of Vulnerability and Intervention for Psychiatric Disorders in Women

One pathway through which social stressors influence brain health is via the gut. Alterations in the collective of gut microorganisms—the gut microbiome—influence stress-response systems through pathways such as microbiome metabolites and immune mediators (the “gut-brain axis”). The microbiome is thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders via modulation of these systems. As such, the gut microbiome has been identified as an interface between various social/environmental influences, collectively known as the exposome, and neuroplastic alterations that may create vulnerabilities to psychiatric disorder development. The consequences of stress-related microbiome alterations are particularly meaningful for women, as many diseases specific to women, such as breast and ovarian cancer, have been linked to variation in the microbiome. Childbearing women are also especially vulnerable, as facets of the maternal gut microbiome may be transmitted to offspring, with clear long-term generational health influences. Social stressors are linked to brain and other health disparities in minoritized women. Emerging research also shows links between exposure to social stressors and alterations in the gut microbiome. Dr. Fani will discuss the state of this research, describing the gut-brain axis as a pathway of vulnerability for health disparities in minoritized women. She will also discuss potential targets for intervention, elaborating on potential therapeutic alterations with prebiotic, postbiotic, probiotic supplementation or fecal microbiota transplantation.

Saori Furuta, PhD
Associate Professor, Cancer Biology
Case Western Reserve University
Talk Title: Role of the Gut Microbiome in Modulating Mammary Carcinogenesis

It is increasingly evident that the microbiome impacts cancer occurrence. Given that the microbiotas of cancer susceptible individuals are often dysregulated—a condition of dysbiosis, restorations of the healthy microbiome and their products have gained traction as an emerging cancer preventative method. We sought to determine the microbial metabolites that could boost innate immunity and be potentially utilized to prevent breast cancer. We previously reported that supplementing sepiapterin (SEP, the endogenous precursor of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4)—the cofactor of nitric oxide synthase) effectively prevented tumor occurrence in animals susceptible to HER2+ mammary tumors. We found that SEP reprogrammed the gut microbiota of these mice elevating beneficial species Akkermansia utilized as a probiotic. Lipid extracts of feces from SEP-treated mice strongly promoted the cytotoxicity of natural killer (NK) cells in vitro compared to those from control DMSO-treated mice. NK cells are innate immune cells that act as a first line of defense against cancer. These findings suggest a contribution by the increase in bacterial metabolites that activate NK cells to tumor-preventative effects of SEP and potential therapeutic utilization of these metabolites for a prophylactic treatment of HER2+ mammary tumors.

Registration

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Continuing Medical Education

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This activity is intended for the biomedical research community and healthcare providers. A secondary audience is the general public, to enhance awareness of NIH-supported findings in women’s health research.

GLOBAL OBJECTIVES

After attending this activity, the learner will demonstrate the ability to:

• Implement a structured, collaborative, and iterative approach to disseminating medical education across Johns Hopkins Medicine and its affiliates.
• Identify and evaluate systems-based and practice-based processes to improve patient safety and quality of care through data driven analysis and continuous improvement strategies.
• Evaluate recent research, new techniques and clinical guidelines for their design quality, validity, and relevance to patient care, and implement those that improve treatment effectiveness.
• Promote patient-centered, team-based communication strategies among healthcare stakeholders to optimize care coordination and decision-making.
• Analyze and compare patient outcomes from historical and current cases to refine clinical decision-making and develop more effective treatment strategies.

ACCREDITATION STATEMENT

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CREDIT DESIGNATION STATEMENT

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This regularly scheduled series has been approved for a 52-week cycle beginning January 29, 2026.

POLICY ON PRESENTER AND PROVIDER DISCLOSURE

It is the policy of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine that the presenter and provider globally disclose conflicts of interest and any discussion of unlabeled/unapproved uses of drugs or devices during their presentation(s). The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine OCME has established policies in place to identify and mitigate relevant conflicts of interest prior to this educational activity. Detailed disclosure will be made prior to presentation of the education.

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