Bryan Coburn, MD, PhD, FRCPC

Senior Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI)
Keywords: microbiome, microbial genomics, infection, chronic respiratory disease, infectious diseases, clinical trials, human microbiome

I am a Clinician-Scientist in Infectious Diseases (ID) at the University Health Network in Toronto, where I attend on the inpatient General ID consult service (at Toronto General, Toronto Western, and Mount Sinai Hospitals) and have outpatient practices in post-discharge General ID follow-up, HIV treatment and prevention, and Tuberculosis (at the TWH TB clinic). I lead an Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Unit at the UHN that undertakes human clinical trials in infectious diseases, antimicrobial stewardship, and microbiome-targeting therapies.

My lab studies human microbiomes in health and disease, including human clinical trials of microbiome-targeting therapies in infectious and non-infectious diseases. We are specifically interested in the effects of various treatments (particularly antibiotics) on the composition of the gut microbiome and microbiomes of other mucosal surfaces. Our goal is to translate our understanding of the complexity and function of the human microbiome to diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of human diseases in which microbiome perturbation has been implicated, including sexual/reproductive health, cancer, critical illness, and the treatment and prevention of bacterial infections.

Related Links

Altering intestinal bacteria – a comparison of 2 methods

Study Status: Completed
Study Purpose: We are comparing how well two different treatments work for people with gut bacteria that cause infections and are resistant to antibiotics.
Background: Bad bacteria in your gut can make you sick by causing infections and are sometimes hard to kill. We wanted to know how we can get rid of these bacteria or reduce how much are in the gut. This study looked at two treatments: one is called Fecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT), where healthy bacteria from a healthy person’s stool are transferred to a person with an infection. The second is called Microbial Ecosystem Therapeutic 2 (MET-2), which is a pill filled with bacteria that are taken from a healthy person’s stool and grown in a lab.
Study Methods: In our study, we checked stool samples from people who got either FMT or MET-2. We looked at their gut bacteria from before and after treatment, to see if the treatments lessened the amount of bad bacteria.
Key Findings: We found that both treatments made the harmful gut bacteria decrease. MET-2 seemed to work better than FMT at reducing the bad bacteria. MET-2 also increased the good bacteria that promote a healthy gut. These changes in the gut lasted at least 4 months after treatment. This study shows that both bacteria given as pills and transfer of stool may help decrease infection-causing bacteria in the gut. Since FMT can be difficult to give to a lot of people and there are possible safety concerns, MET-2 may be a promising option to use instead.
Health Conditions: Infectious Diseases (HIV/AIDS, TB, etc.)

 

BALANCE of the Microbiome

Study Status: Active
Study Purpose: We are comparing how well 7 days versus 14 days of antibiotic treatment work for people with bloodstream infections. We want to know if longer treatment has more harmful effects on healthy (good) bacteria in people being treated.
Background: Bloodstream infections are when bacteria are in the blood, and this is treated with antibiotics. Doctors aren't sure how long to give antibiotics, so we're trying to find out if treating for fewer days (7 days) works just as well as treating for more days (14 days). Long antibiotic treatments can harm good bacteria in the gut and make bacteria resistant to antibiotics. We are going to compare the bacteria in the stool of people who got 7 or 14 days of antibiotics. If treating for fewer days is just as effective, it could help protect the good bacteria in the gut.
Study Methods: We're doing this study as part of a larger one called BALANCE. In the main BALANCE study, patients across Canada were given antibiotics for either 7 or 14 days. In our study, we collected samples from 175 patients at different times during treatment. We're going to check these samples to see what bacteria are there, if any are resistant to antibiotics, and how the two groups (7 days and 14 days of antibiotics) compare.
Health Conditions: Blood disorders

 

For a list of Dr. Coburn's publications, please visit PubMed or Scopus.

Senior Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI)

Assistant Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto