Michael J. Barratt

Michael J. Barratt serves as Professor of Pathology and Immunology at Washington University School of Medicine and Executive Director of the Center for Gut Microbiome and Nutrition Research. He co-directs the Breast Milk Gut Microbiome and Immunity (BMMI) and Environmental Enteric Dysfunction (EED) Projects within Jeffrey Gordon's laboratory, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and NIH.

His educational background includes:

• BA (Hons) in Biochemistry, Exeter College, Oxford University (1990)
• MA in Biochemistry, Exeter College, Oxford University (1992)
• PhD in Cell Biology/Molecular Sciences, King's College London (1994)

Dr. Barratt's research centers on gut microbiome interactions in maternal/childhood undernutrition and EED, utilizing gnotobiotic models to study microbe-host signaling. His team developed microbiota-directed foods (MDFs) that outperform current therapies in repairing microbiota dysfunction and promoting growth in malnourished children, with ongoing clinical trials across South Asia and Africa.

His publications demonstrate translational focus from genomic reconstruction of gut bacteria to clinical validation of nutritional interventions, emphasizing geographic adaptation of MDFs and mechanistic understanding of microbiome-nutrition interactions.

Key recognitions include:

• Nature Global Grants for Gut Health Research Group Prize (2023)
• Science Breakthrough of the Year Runner-up (2019)
• icddr,b Recognition for Malnutrition Research (2022)
• Clinical Research Forum Top 10 Award (2021)
• Tadion-Rideal Prize (Molecular Science)

With 17 years in pharmaceutical R&D at Pfizer and Unilever, he has led teams developing 15+ clinical compounds and pioneered drug repurposing research. His current work integrates global health partnerships with WHO, icddr,b, and Gates Foundation-funded consortia to optimize microbiome-based therapies.

He directs international research teams across the Gordon Lab, focusing on microbiome-nutrition interactions through the BMMI and EED projects, with field sites in Bangladesh, Niger, and other low-resource settings.