University of Michigan researcher: microbiome is both driver and therapeutic opportunity in AMR

Dr. Vincent Young of the University of Michigan opened the panel with a high-level tour of how microbiomes across hosts and environments relate to antimicrobial resistance. “The microbiome itself can be part of the AMR problem, but it can also be part of the solution,” Young said, urging a One Health view that includes soil, animals and human clinical settings.

Young described resistance determinants circulating in microbiomes, horizontal gene transfer, and how low environmental concentrations of antimicrobials can act as signals to change microbial physiology (a hormesis effect). He reviewed examples from natural systems (actinomycetes and leafcutter ants) and clinical translation, including FDA-approved fecal-derived preparations for recurrent C. difficile and emerging evidence that microbiome modulation can influence responses to cancer immunotherapy. Young concluded by urging cross-scale research to link ecological mechanisms to clinical interventions.