As the hub of life sciences at Oklahoma State University, the College of Arts and Sciences is committed to research that bridges disciplines and creates breakthroughs for the betterment of societies around the world. With hundreds of faculty, staff and students across the departments of biology, psychology, and microbiology and molecular genetics, there’s no easy way to fully capture the extent of transdisciplinary life science research within CAS. However, highlighted here are three of the many projects bringing distinction to the college and the university. STORY ELIZABETH GOSNEY | PHOTOS JASON WALLACE CAS leading the way in transdisciplinary life sciences research MORE THAN A GUT FEELING A recent collaboration between microbiology and molecular genetics professor Dr. Babu Fathepure and biology associate professor Dr. Liz McCullagh aims to characterize gut bacteria in Fragile X Syndrome — the most common single-gene cause of Autism Spectrum Disorder — to better understand how gut microbiome dysbiosis may be linked to changes in the brain. “Our goal is to identify specific microbial metabolites that may be indicative of, or contribute to, the underlying causes of the condition,” Fathepure said. “These findings will be further studied by understanding what specific roles the dysregulated bacteria play in gut-brain interactions, and how those changes may be related to FXS and ASD.” Fathepure and McCullagh explained that interest in the gut-brain axis — or bidirectional communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system — has increased in recent years, particularly in relation to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. From left: Sabiha Alam, Dr. Liz McCullagh, Dr. Babu Fathepure and Ajagbe Damilare 12 CONNECT 2025
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