# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Gut microbiota and health Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/gut-microbiota-and-health/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Gut microbiota and health research in the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 ranking in gut microbiota and health underscores a strong pivot toward microbiome-immune interactions. Fecal microbiota transplantation and immune checkpoint blockade remain central, while research is rapidly expanding into specific metabolites like indole-3-lactic acid and their roles in therapeutic response and disease modulation.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Gut microbiota and health |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 17221 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Fecal microbiota transplantation, Immune checkpoint blockade, Inflammatory bowel disease |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 109–222 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved June 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | A distinct Fusobacterium nucleatum clade dominates the colorectal cancer niche | Martha Zepeda-Rivera, Samuel S Minot, Heather Bouzek, Hanrui Wu, Aitor Blanco-Míguez, Paolo Manghi, Dakota S Jones, Kaitlyn D LaCourse, Ying Wu, Elsa F McMahon, Soon-Nang Park, Yun K Lim, Andrew G Kempchinsky, Amy D Willis, Sean L Cotton, Susan C Yost, Ewa Sicinska, Joong-Ki Kook, Floyd E Dewhirst, Nicola Segata, Susan Bullman, Christopher D Johnston | Susan Bullman, Christopher D. Johnston | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, United States | Nature | 222 | 10.1038/s41586-024-07182-w |
| 2 | EzBioCloud: a genome-driven database and platform for microbiome identification and discovery | Mauricio Chalita, Yeong Ouk Kim, Sein Park, Hyun-Seok Oh, Jae Hyoung Cho, Jeongsup Moon, Nuga Baek, Changsik Moon, Kihyun Lee, Junwon Yang, Gi Gyun Nam, Yeonjae Jung, Seong-In Na, Michael James Bailey, Jongsik Chun | Mauricio Chalita | CJ Bioscience Inc, South Korea | INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY | 203 | 10.1099/ijsem.0.006421 |
| 3 | Microbial metabolite enhances immunotherapy efficacy by modulating T cell stemness in pan-cancer | Dingjiacheng Jia, Qiwen Wang, Yadong Qi, Yao Jiang, Jiamin He, Yifeng Lin, Yong Sun, Jilei Xu, Wenwen Chen, Lina Fan, Ruochen Yan, Wang Zhang, Guohong Ren, Chaochao Xu, Qiwei Ge, Lan Wang, Wei Liu, Fei Xu, Pin Wu, Yuhao Wang, Shujie Chen, Liangjing Wang | Shujie Chen, Liangjing Wang | Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China | Cell | 187 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.02.022 |
| 4 | A core microbiome signature as an indicator of health | Guojun Wu, Ting Xu, Naisi Zhao, Yan Y Lam, Xiaoying Ding, Dongqin Wei, Jian Fan, Yajuan Shi, Xiaofeng Li, Mi Li, Shenjie Ji, Xuejiao Wang, Huaqing Fu, Feng Zhang, Yu Shi, Chenhong Zhang, Yongde Peng, Liping Zhao | Guojun Wu | Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, United States | Cell | 175 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.019 |
| 5 | Gut symbionts alleviate MASH through a secondary bile acid biosynthetic pathway | Qixing Nie, Xi Luo, Kai Wang, Yong Ding, Shumi Jia, Qixiang Zhao, Meng Li, Jinxin Zhang, Yingying Zhuo, Jun Lin, Chenghao Guo, Zhiwei Zhang, Huiying Liu, Guangyi Zeng, Jie You, Lulu Sun, Hua Lu, Ming Ma, Yanxing Jia, Ming-Hua Zheng, Yanli Pang, Jie Qiao, Changtao Jiang | Yanxing Jia, Ming‐Hua Zheng, Yanli Pang, Jie Qiao, Changtao Jiang | Peking University, China | Cell | 166 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.034 |
| 6 | Fusobacterium nucleatum facilitates anti-PD-1 therapy in microsatellite stable colorectal cancer | Xueliang Wang, Yi Fang, Wei Liang, Chi Chun Wong, Huanlong Qin, Yaohui Gao, Meinong Liang, Lei Song, Yongxin Zhang, Miao Fan, Chuanfa Liu, Harry Cheuk-Hay Lau, Lixia Xu, Xiaoxing Li, Wu Song, Junlin Wang, Na Wang, Tao Yang, Mengmiao Mo, Xiang Zhang, Jingyuan Fang, Bing Liao, Joseph J Y Sung, Jun Yu | Jun Yu | The First Affiliated Hospital, China | Cancer Cell | 162 | 10.1016/j.ccell.2024.08.019 |
| 7 | Microbiota-derived indoles alleviate intestinal inflammation and modulate microbiome by microbial cross-feeding | Gang Wang, Yuxin Fan, Guolong Zhang, Shuang Cai, Yonghang Ma, Lijie Yang, Yuming Wang, Haitao Yu, Shiyan Qiao, Xiangfang Zeng | Xiangfang Zeng | China Agricultural University, China | Microbiome | 135 | 10.1186/s40168-024-01750-y |
| 8 | Gut microbiome and metabolome profiling in Framingham heart study reveals cholesterol-metabolizing bacteria | Chenhao Li, Martin Stražar, Ahmed M T Mohamed, Julian A Pacheco, Rebecca L Walker, Tina Lebar, Shijie Zhao, Julia Lockart, Andrea Dame, Kumar Thurimella, Sarah Jeanfavre, Eric M Brown, Qi Yan Ang, Brittany Berdy, Dallis Sergio, Rachele Invernizzi, Antonio Tinoco, Gleb Pishchany, Ramachandran S Vasan, Emily Balskus, Curtis Huttenhower, Hera Vlamakis, Clary Clish, Stanley Y Shaw, Damian R Plichta, Ramnik J Xavier | Chenhao Li | Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, United States | Cell | 135 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.014 |
| 9 | Dubosiella newyorkensis modulates immune tolerance in colitis via the L-lysine-activated AhR-IDO1-Kyn pathway | Yanan Zhang, Shuyu Tu, Xingwei Ji, Jianan Wu, Jinxin Meng, Jinsong Gao, Xian Shao, Shuai Shi, Gan Wang, Jingjing Qiu, Zhuobiao Zhang, Chengang Hua, Ziyi Zhang, Shuxian Chen, Li Zhang, Shu Jeffrey Zhu | Shu Zhu | Zhejiang University, China | Nature Communications | 128 | 10.1038/s41467-024-45636-x |
| 10 | Bile acids modified by the intestinal microbiota promote colorectal cancer growth by suppressing CD8+ T cell effector functions | Jingjing Cong, Pianpian Liu, Zili Han, Wei Ying, Chaoliang Li, Yifei Yang, Shuling Wang, Jianbo Yang, Fei Cao, Juntao Shen, Yu Zeng, Yu Bai, Congzhao Zhou, Lilin Ye, Rongbin Zhou, Chunjun Guo, Chunlei Cang, Dennis L Kasper, Xinyang Song, Lei Dai, Linfeng Sun, Wen Pan, Shu Zhu | Wen Pan, Shu Zhu | University of Science and Technology of China, China | Immunity | 128 | 10.1016/j.immuni.2024.02.014 |
| 11 | Dietary fibre directs microbial tryptophan metabolism via metabolic interactions in the gut microbiota | Anurag K Sinha, Martin F Laursen, Julius E Brinck, Morten L Rybtke, Anna Pii Hjørne, Nicola Procházková, Mikael Pedersen, Henrik M Roager, Tine R Licht | Anurag Kumar Sinha, Tine Rask Licht | Technical University of Denmark, Denmark | Nature Microbiology | 126 | 10.1038/s41564-024-01737-3 |
| 12 | Immunoregulatory role of the gut microbiota in inflammatory depression | Penghong Liu, Zhifen Liu, Jizhi Wang, Junyan Wang, Mingxue Gao, Yanyan Zhang, Chunxia Yang, Aixia Zhang, Gaizhi Li, Xinrong Li, Sha Liu, Lixin Liu, Ning Sun, Kerang Zhang | Ning Sun, Kerang Zhang | First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, China | Nature Communications | 124 | 10.1038/s41467-024-47273-w |
| 13 | Wekemo Bioincloud: A user‐friendly platform for meta‐omics data analyses | Yunyun Gao, Guoxing Zhang, Shunyao Jiang, Yong-Xin Liu | Yongxin Liu | Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China | iMeta | 122 | 10.1002/imt2.175 |
| 14 | Streptococcus anginosus promotes gastric inflammation, atrophy, and tumorigenesis in mice | Kaili Fu, Alvin Ho Kwan Cheung, Chi Chun Wong, Weixin Liu, Yunfei Zhou, Feixue Wang, Pingmei Huang, Kai Yuan, Olabisi Oluwabukola Coker, Yasi Pan, Danyu Chen, Nga Man Lam, Mengxue Gao, Xiang Zhang, He Huang, Ka Fai To, Joseph Jao Yiu Sung, Jun Yu | Joseph J.�Y. Sung, Jun Yu | The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China | Cell | 121 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.004 |
| 15 | Resistant starch intake facilitates weight loss in humans by reshaping the gut microbiota | Huating Li, Lei Zhang, Jun Li, Qian Wu, Lingling Qian, Junsheng He, Yueqiong Ni, Petia Kovatcheva-Datchary, Rui Yuan, Shuangbo Liu, Li Shen, Mingliang Zhang, Bin Sheng, Ping Li, Kang Kang, Liang Wu, Qichen Fang, Xiaoxue Long, Xiaolin Wang, Yanli Li, Yaorui Ye, Jianping Ye, Yuqian Bao, Yueliang Zhao, Guowang Xu, Xinyu Liu, Gianni Panagiotou, Aimin Xu, Weiping Jia | Huating Li, Xinyu Liu, Gianni Panagiotou, Aimin Xu, Weiping Jia | Shanghai Key Laboratory of Diabetes Mellitus, China | Nature Metabolism | 117 | 10.1038/s42255-024-00988-y |
| 16 | Engineered probiotic ameliorates ulcerative colitis by restoring gut microbiota and redox homeostasis | Peilin Guo, Wenjing Wang, Qian Xiang, Chao Pan, Yefeng Qiu, Tingting Li, Dongfang Wang, Jian Ouyang, Rongrong Jia, Min Shi, Yugang Wang, Junxia Li, Jiale Zou, Yuan Zhong, Jiawei Zhao, Diwei Zheng, Yimin Cui, Guanghui Ma, Wei Wei | Yimin Cui, Guanghui Ma, Wei Wei | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Cell Host & Microbe | 117 | 10.1016/j.chom.2024.07.028 |
| 17 | A pan-cancer analysis of the microbiome in metastatic cancer | Thomas W Battaglia, Iris L Mimpen, Joleen J H Traets, Arne van Hoeck, Laurien J Zeverijn, Birgit S Geurts, Gijs F de Wit, Michaël Noë, Ingrid Hofland, Joris L Vos, Sten Cornelissen, Maartje Alkemade, Annegien Broeks, Charlotte L Zuur, Edwin Cuppen, Lodewyk Wessels, Joris van de Haar, Emile Voest | Emile E. Voest | Netherlands Cancer Institute, Netherlands | Cell | 116 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.03.021 |
| 18 | Bacteroides uniformis degrades β-glucan to promote Lactobacillus johnsonii improving indole-3-lactic acid levels in alleviating colitis | Shanshan Zhang, Qixing Nie, Yonggan Sun, Sheng Zuo, Chunhua Chen, Song Li, Jingrui Yang, Jielun Hu, Xingtao Zhou, Yongkang Yu, Ping Huang, Lu Lian, Mingyong Xie, Shaoping Nie | Mingyong Xie, Shaoping Nie | Nanchang University, China | Microbiome | 116 | 10.1186/s40168-024-01896-9 |
| 19 | Fecal microbiota transplantation improves anti-PD-1 inhibitor efficacy in unresectable or metastatic solid cancers refractory to anti-PD-1 inhibitor | Yunjae Kim, Gihyeon Kim, Sujeong Kim, Beomki Cho, Sang-Yeob Kim, Eun-Ju Do, Dong-Jun Bae, Seungil Kim, Mi-Na Kweon, Joon Seon Song, Sang Hyoung Park, Sung Wook Hwang, Mi-Na Kim, Yeongmin Kim, Kyungchan Min, Sung-Han Kim, Mark D Adams, Charles Lee, Hansoo Park, Sook Ryun Park | Sang Hyoung Park, Sook Ryun Park, Sook Ryun Park | Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), South Korea | Cell Host & Microbe | 114 | 10.1016/j.chom.2024.06.010 |
| 20 | The gut commensal Blautia maintains colonic mucus function under low-fiber consumption through secretion of short-chain fatty acids | Sandra M Holmberg, Rachel H Feeney, Vishnu Prasoodanan P K, Fabiola Puértolas-Balint, Dhirendra K Singh, Supapit Wongkuna, Lotte Zandbergen, Hans Hauner, Beate Brandl, Anni I Nieminen, Thomas Skurk, Bjoern O Schroeder | Bjoern O. Schroeder | Umeå University, Sweden | Nature Communications | 109 | 10.1038/s41467-024-47594-w |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 for gut microbiota and health is heavily defined by therapeutic interventions and their molecular underpinnings. Interventions such as fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) dominate the landscape, reflecting a translational focus on modulating the microbiome to improve clinical outcomes, particularly in colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Mechanistic studies are increasingly prominent, with a strong emphasis on short-chain fatty acids and tryptophan metabolism. Researchers are actively investigating how specific microbial metabolites, like indole-3-lactic acid, interact with host pathways such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) to regulate intestinal barrier function and immune tolerance. This highlights a maturation in the field from broad compositional surveys toward precise, multi-omics characterization of host-microbe interactions and their therapeutic potential.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

Comparing the Class of 2025 to 2026 reveals a significant shift from broad microbiome profiling to highly specific metabolic and disease-focused investigations. The most dramatic rise was seen in ulcerative colitis and DSS-induced colitis, indicating intensified research into inflammatory disease models. Specific metabolites also surged in focus; indole-3-lactic acid saw a massive four-fold increase in frequency, reflecting growing interest in tryptophan metabolism and its immunomodulatory effects. Dietary fiber and its role in shaping the microbiome also emerged as rapidly trending areas. Conversely, broader terms like colorectal cancer and general metagenomic sequencing experienced relative declines or stabilization, suggesting the field is moving past initial exploratory sequencing and broad disease associations toward defining the precise molecular mechanisms and specific bacterial strains (like Bacteroides and Clostridium) that drive health and disease.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Gut microbiota and health Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/gut-microbiota-and-health/2026. Accessed 2026-07-21.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```