Rob Knight, Ph.D.

Rob Knight, a University of California San Diego professor and international leader in the study of the roles microbes play in human health and disease and the functioning of ecosystems, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering–the highest professional recognition afforded to engineers and computer scientists. On Feb. 6, 2024, the National Academy of Engineering recognized Knight for his pioneering leadership and “for understanding microbiomes and their application to healthcare and sustainability.”

Knight has dedicated his career to the study of microbiomes–the microorganisms that live in the environment and the human body. His research is relevant for a wide range of practical applications, and his affiliations on campus reflect the deep interdisciplinary nature of his work… Continue reading.

Researchers surprised that process designed to detect SARS-CoV-2 also identifies monkeypox in wastewater

Early information about an outbreak in a geographical region can inform local clinical laboratories as to which infectious agents and variants they are likely to see when testing patients who have symptoms. To that end, wastewater testing has become a rich source of early clues as to where COVID-19 outbreaks are spreading and how new variants of the coronavirus are emerging.

Now, scientists in San Diego County are adding monkeypox to its wastewater surveillance, according to an August University of California San Diego (UCSD) Health press release. The team at UCSD uses the same process for detecting SARS-CoV-2… Continue reading.

Ulcerative colitis, a subtype of inflammatory bowel disease, is a chronic ailment of the colon affecting nearly one million individuals in the United States. It is thought to be linked to disruptions in the gut microbiome — the bacteria and other microbes that live inside us — but no existing treatments actually target these microorganisms.

In a study publishing on January 27, 2022 in Nature Microbiology, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have identified a class of microbial enzymes that drive ulcerative colitis, and have demonstrated a potential route for therapeutic intervention… Continue reading.

Our gut microbiomes — the many bacteria, viruses and other microbes living in our digestive tracts — play important roles in our health and risk for disease in ways that are only beginning to be recognized.

University of California San Diego researchers and collaborators recently demonstrated in older men that the makeup of a person’s gut microbiome is linked to their levels of active vitamin D, a hormone important for bone health and immunity.

The study, published November 26, 2020 in Nature Communications , also revealed a new understanding of vitamin D and how it’s typically measured.

Vitamin D can take several different forms, but standard blood tests detect only one, an inactive precursor that can be stored by the body. To use vitamin D, the body must metabolize the precursor into an active form… Continue reading.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) has announced the induction of Rob Knight, Ph.D., Professor, Pediatric, Computer Science & Engineering, and Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, to its College of Fellows.

Election to the AIMBE College of Fellows is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to a medical and biological engineer. The College of Fellows is comprised of the top two percent of medical and biological engineers. College membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering and medicine research, practice, or education” and to “the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of medical and biological engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to bioengineering education.”

Dr. Knight was nominated, reviewed, and elected by peers and members of the College of Fellows for “his development of state-of-the-art computational and experimental techniques to probe the microbiome.“