CAMIO enables separation of small intestinal host-microbe-diet interactions. CAMIO

The gut has been observed to contribute to the function of nearly organ and in recent decades, microbial-diet interactions have emerged as a critical variable differentiating health and disease. However, research has been limited in its study of the small intestinal ecosystem, where microbes directly interact with food. Due to the complexity of this ecosystem, methods are needed to not only model the small intestine but also to separate the effects of small intestinal microbes and diet on host cells. Here we present the platform Culturing and Application of Microbes on Intestinal Organoids (CAMIO) and demonstrate its usage in studying the effects of diet and microbes on gut hormones. CAMIO is capable of growing small intestinal microbial communities in media representative of the small intestinal environment supplemented with dietary nutrients of interest and supports long-term cultivation. We demonstrate its utility in studying small intestinal microbial interactions We expect CAMIO to be useful in mechanistically understanding how diet and microbes collectively regulate host physiology.