In this episode, Dr James McIlroy chats with Dr Tanya Mongan, clinical associate professor and gastroenterology consultant at the University of Nottingham. Dr Mongan specialises in gut health, particularly the gut–brain connection and faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT).

She talks us through the current state of FMT, why it works so well, and how it’s becoming an increasingly important treatment for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease. We also explore her cutting-edge research into microRNA-based medicines—a new field examining tiny molecules that can help protect the gut and may one day be used to treat conditions linked to an unhealthy microbiome, including cystic fibrosis and neurodegenerative diseases.

This episode breaks down the complexities of the microbiome in an easy-to-understand way, covering everything from the limits of current testing to the promise of personalised gut treatments. Dr Mongan also shares insights into exciting new tools such as organ-on-chip models, nano-delivery systems for microRNAs, and even zebrafish models used in gut research.

If you want to understand where gut science is heading, what’s real and what’s hype, and how future therapies may become more precise and personalised, this is a must-listen.

Chapter Markers

00:00 Introduction to Dr Tanya Mongan and gut health
01:51 Has the microbiome “bubble” burst?
03:45 The big challenges in microbiome science
06:13 What the future of microbiome testing could look like
12:45 Understanding faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)
19:22 How FMT works and what current research shows
26:29 Why the microbiome is so complex
34:57 MicroRNAs: a new frontier in gut health
37:41 Where microRNAs come from
38:18 How microRNAs help protect the gut
39:00 Why delivering microRNAs is difficult
39:19 Nano-formulation: new ways to deliver microRNAs
40:37 The advantages of organ-on-chip models
42:02 Personalised “gut avatars”
43:58 Zebrafish and other models used in gut research
49:27 Clinical applications and future directions
53:17 Microbiome therapy and FMT in clinical practice
56:57 The future of microbiome research and treatment
01:01:23 Diet, supplements, and the microbiome
01:04:34 Weight-loss drugs and how they affect the microbiome
01:07:52 Fascinating facts about the microbiome
01:09:24 Final thoughts and wrap-up