Tag Archives: Xuesong He

TM7x, a strain of Saccharibacteria, is an ultra-small bacterium that lives in the human mouth. As an episymbiont, it depends on its host microbe, Schaalia odontolytica, for essential nutrients, making it highly specialized and seemingly incapable of surviving on its own.  Scientists at the ADA Forsyth Institute first cultured this ultra-small, episymbiotic bacterial type Saccharibacteria about a decade ago. Despite its discovery, the mechanisms that allow it to…

Clear aligners are popular options for orthodontic patients, offering a convenient and comfortable way to align teeth compared to traditional metal braces. These custom-made plastic trays fit snugly over all teeth for most of each day, typically for one to two years. Because aligners cover the teeth almost all the time, they significantly reduce the…

We’re excited to bring you Episode 6 of Ambush Science, our ongoing ADA Forsyth series where we surprise scientists with a quick Q&A to give you an exclusive look at their research. Today, we visited Dr. Xuesong He, whose lab is focused on the ecology of the oral microbiome and how these microorganisms interact with…

A group of scientists at the ADA Forsyth Institute has identified a mechanism used by host cells to fight back against common oral bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum). A microorganism implicated in periodontal disease, F. nucleatum is also associated with many other systemic conditions including colorectal cancer and pregnancy complications. A new study, published in…

An estimated total of one trillion species of bacteria exist in the world, with only about 30,000 species discovered and named. While scientists are aware of many unnamed, unstudied microorganisms, they remain understudied because these microbes haven’t been cultured in a laboratory. These illusive microorganisms are known by microbiologists as “microbial dark matter.” Dr. Xuesong…

AFI scientists discover third player in the phage-bacterial arms race, a nanosized epibiotic parasite, TM7x, which helps its host bacterium achieve resistance to lytic phages.

An interview with Dr. Pu-Ting Dong on her award-winning publication By Jessica Weinstein ADA Forsyth scientists have spent decades investigating every order, genus, and species of bacteria living in the human oral cavity.  Their work accounts for many firsts in this area of research, and they won’t be slowing down any time soon.  While some…

Researchers at the Forsyth Institute have discovered an important mechanism that may have profound implications for how we prevent colorectal cancer. Oddly enough, their discovery began in the mouth. 
Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer, killing over 52,000 people a year.