Dr. Marie-Claire Arrieta

After obtaining a Licentiate in Microbiology in 2001 at the University in San José, Costa Rica, Marie-Claire Arrieta moved to Canada where she achieved a Master of Sciences in Physiology and Cell Biology at The University of Alberta, in 2005. Her doctoral work then explored the role of intestinal permeability (leaky gut) in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Through this work, she became interested in the concept of the gut as the engine of diseases that occur in organs far away from the gut.

She then held the position of post-doctoral researcher in the laboratory of Dr Brett Finlay, a prominent molecular microbiologist who has pioneered many studies in the field of the human microbiome. Since 2016, Marie-Claire Arrieta is an Assistant Professor in the departments of Physiology, Pharmacology and Pediatrics of the University of Calgary.

Her research group studies the relationship between the early-gut microbiome and the infant’s immune, metabolic, and neurological development: how intestinal dysfunction may lead to disease in and outside the gut. She is particularly interested in the metabolic aspects of the communication between the intestinal microbial networks, the gastrointestinal tissue, and the immune system. This research is fundamental to generating meaningful progress in health outcome-related knowledge.

Research from her lab has shown that bacteria and fungi are engaged in several symbiotic relationships, including in relation to immune responses. Also, their work is unraveling the ecological mechanisms by which infant probiotic use can impact the early-life microbiome in infants born prematurely.

Her research program uses a translational approach, in which samples collected from children are used to characterize the microbial alterations associated with the risk of asthma, obesity or stress dysregulation. The research group also uses mouse models to examine the causality and mechanisms of these associations in mouse models.

Besides her research, Marie-Claire Arrieta is an advocate of science communication to the public. She is co-author of a best-selling book, “Let Them Eat Dirt” (Saving your child from and oversanitized world), and is involved in several science communication initiatives, including participation in public talks and documentaries (“Let them eat dirt”).