Elizabeth J. Culp, PhD, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Andrew L. Goodman, PhD and member of the Microbial Sciences Institute, has been awarded a Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Fellowship. Dr. Culp’s project, “Mechanisms and consequences of microbial transformation of dietary xenobiotics in cancer risk”, explores how the chemical components of food interact with the gut microbiome and how these interactions impact cancer risk. While diet is an important factor in cancer prevention, it is unclear how specific food components affect cancer risk in an individual. A key piece of information not currently understood is how dietary compounds are metabolized by the gut microbiome, and how these transformations alter the biological activity of the compound on the host. Dr. Culp is mapping the transformation of dietary compounds by bacterial members of the gut microbiome, deciphering the associated mechanisms, and testing their cancer-associated effects in mouse models. Together, these studies will provide a basis to inform intervention strategies addressing the link between the microbiome, diet, and cancer risk.