Portrait: Alexander Khoruts

Alexander Khoruts

MD
Professional Focus I am particularly interested in the role of gut microbes and the host immune system in how the body works. Disruption of gut microbes may lead to major disturbances in physiology. The most obvious example is Clostridium difficile infection. However, there may be many other problems. Research in this area is still in its infancy, but new information is being learned every day.

I have an active research program focused on host-microbe interactions. The gut is home to a microbial organ in our body that has important functions in energy metabolism and instruction of the immune system. The program is funded by a number of research grant awards from NIH and foundations.
Honors & Awards Department of Medicine Young Investigator Award, University of Minnesota (2001-2003)
Member, American Gastroenterological Association (2000-present)
Member, American Association of Immunologists (2001-present)
Member, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (2011-present)
Principal Investigator on several NIH-funded research projects
Research & Publications Khoruts, A., Dicksved, J., Jansson, J.K., and M.K. Sadowsky. 2010. Changes in the Composition of the Human Fecal Microbiome after Bacteriotherapy for Recurrent Clostridium Difficile-associated Diarrhea. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 17:335-342.

Khoruts, A., and M.J. Sadowsky. 2011. Therapeutic transplantation of the distal gut microbiota. Mucosal Immunol. 4:4-7.

Bakken, J.S., T. Borody, L.J. Brandt, J.V. Brill, D.C. Demarco, M.A. Franzos, C. Kelly, A. Khoruts, T. Louie, L.P. Martinelli, T.A. Moore, G. Russell, C. Surawicz (The Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Workgroup). 2011. Treating Clostridium difficile infection with fecal microbiota transplantation. Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 9:1044-1049.

Borody, T.J., and A. Khoruts. 2011. Fecal microbiota transplantation and emerging applications. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 9:88-96.

Hamilton, M.J., A.R. Weingarden, M.K. Sadowsky*, and A. Khoruts*. 2012. Standardized frozen preparation for transplantation of fecal microbiota for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. 107:761-767. *Authors equal contributors.

Hamilton, M.J., A.R. Weingarden, T. Unno, A. Khoruts*, and M.K. Sadowsky*. 2013. High-throughput DNA sequence analysis reveals stable engraftment of gut microbiota following transplantation of previously frozen fecal bacteria. Gut microbes. 4:125-135.

Weingarden, A.R., Hamilton, M.J., Sadowsky, M.J.*, and Khoruts, A.* 2013. Resolution of Severe Clostridium difficile Infection Following Sequential Fecal Microbiota Transplantation. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. *Authors equally contributed.

Billings, J.L., Dunitz, J.M., McAllister, S., Herzog, T., Bobr, A., and Khoruts, A. 2013. Early Colon Screening of Adult Patients with Cystic Fibrosis Reveals High Incidence of Adenomatous Colon Polyps. J. Clin. Gastroenterol.

Kelly, C.R., Kunde, S.S., and Khoruts, A. 2013. A How to Guide: Investigational New Drug Application for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol.

Weingarden, A.R., Chen, C., Bobr, A., Yao, D., Lu, Y., Nelson, V.M., Sadowsky, M.J.*, and Khoruts, A.* 2014. Microbiota Transplantation Restores Normal Fecal Bile Acid Composition in Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection. Am J Physiol Gastointestin Liver Physiol. 306:G310-319. *Authors contributed equally.

Khoruts, A. Faecal microbiota transplantation 2014: Developing human gut microbiota as a class of therapeutics. Nat. Rev. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 11:79-80.

Petrof, E.O. and Khoruts, A. 2014. From stool transplants to next-generation microbiota therapeutics. Gastroenterology, 146:1573-1582.

Shankar, V., Hamilton, M.J., Khoruts, A., Kilburn, A., Unno, T., Paliy, O., and Sadowsky, M.J. 2014. Species and genus level resolution analysis of microbiota in Clostridium difficile patients following fecal microbiota transplantation. Microbiome.

Khoruts, A., and Weingarden, A.R. 2014. Emergence of fecal microbiota transplantation as an approach to repair disrupted microbial gut ecology. Immunol. Lett.
Conditions
Crohns Colitis Crohns Disease, Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Colitis, Ulcerative (Ulcerative Colitis)
C. Difficile Colitis (Clostridium Difficile Colitis)
Colitis From Antibiotics (Clostridium Difficile Colitis)
Pseudomembranous Colitis (Clostridium Difficile Colitis)
Common Variable Immunodeficiency
Procedures
Colonoscopy
Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Endoscopy
Wireless Capsule Endoscopy Capsule Endoscopy
Esophageal Motility Study Esophageal Manometry
GERD test Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Test Esophageal pH Monitoring
University of Minnesota Medical School
Medical School, Residency, Fellowship
Board Certifications
American Board of Internal Medicine
Gastroenterology
Place of Work
Medical Director, University of Minnesota Microbiota Therapeutics Program | Hospital Based | Current
Professor of Medicine, Divison of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, University of M | Academic | Current
Languages
Russian
English
Links