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Prof Francine Marques

@fzmarques.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.2K following 164 posts

Viertel, NHMRC & Heart Foundation Fellow & #Hypertension Lab Head at Monash University. Gut #microbiome, 🐶 lover, #Cancer survivor, Australian Academy of Science Gottschalk🏅she/her. Always an ally

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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
As we transition to managing CKM syndrome under the new frameworks, the gut microbiome must move from the periphery to a core therapeutic target
static.klipy.com
Delicious Kiwi Fruit with 'MOOORRRREEEEE' Caption
ALT: Delicious Kiwi Fruit with 'MOOORRRREEEEE' Caption
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Just a week ago, the global medical community recognised these conditions as a single, interconnected multi-organ continuum, publishing the 2026 AHA/ACC/ADA/ASN Clinical Practice Guidelines for CKM Syndrome in JACC: www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
ahajournals.org
American Heart Association Journals
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
This is important because the concept of Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) was introduced in 2023: www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
ahajournals.org
Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association | Circulation
Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic health reflects the interplay among metabolic risk factors, chronic kidney disease, and the cardiovascular system and has profound impacts on morbidity and mortality. T...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
When poor diets (low fiber, high meat) disrupt the gut microbiota, it triggers a toxic cascade Our team, led by first author Chudan Xu and @mattsnelson.bsky.social, mapped out how gut-derived uremic toxins cross a leaky gut barrier to fuel the entire CKM continuum
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
📢New paper alert Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome is officially recognised as a single, multi-organ continuum Our new review in Gut Microbes points to a critical, overlooked culprit: the gut microbiome ➡️https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19490976.2026.2685906#abstract
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Reposted by Prof Francine Marques
Gut Microbiota for Health @gmfhx.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Gut‑derived bacteria can migrate into the brain after a stroke  ‪@fzmarques.bsky.social & colleagues‬ found that blocking sympathetic tone decreases gut permeability, brain bacterial load, and improves motor outcomes without changing infarct size:
tinyurl.com
Gut bacteria presence in the brain is increased after ischemic stroke in mice
Systemic infections are a common cause of complications and death after stroke. These infections can occur due to the breakdown of the gut epithelial barrier and the translocation of bacteria from ...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
New paper from our team 🧠🦠 After stroke, gut‑derived bacteria can migrate into the brain Blocking sympathetic tone ↓ gut permeability, ↓ brain bacterial load, and improves motor outcomes—without changing infarct size Congrats to Dr Alex Peh! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Gut bacteria presence in the brain is increased after ischemic stroke in mice
Systemic infections are a common cause of complications and death after stroke. These infections can occur due to the breakdown of the gut epithelial barrier and the translocation of bacteria from ...
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Reposted by Prof Francine Marques
Svetlana Ugarcina Perovic @svetlanaup.bsky.social · 14/01/2026
New #MicrobiomeDigest is OUT microbiomedigest.com/2026/01/14/j... • gut microbiome / @fasnicar.bsky.social • maternal microbiome / @fzmarques.bsky.social • bark microbiome / @bobpmleung.bsky.social See you next week at #MVIF 45 (@microbiomevif.bsky.social)!
microbiomedigest.com
January 14, 2026
See you at MVIF next week! Gut microbiomeEarly-life colonization by aromatic-lactate-producing bifidobacteria lowers the risk of allergic sensitization – Pernille Neve Myers – Nature Microbiology&n…
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Excited to host Tim at the Victorian Heart Institute Limited space, please sign up below And thanks for sharing @monashnutrition.bsky.social
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
For anyone working in microbiome science, gnotobiotics, or reproductive biology, I highly recommend giving it a read, published now in Gut Microbes: 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... #microbiome #microbiota #germfree #pregnancy #gut
tandfonline.com
The maternal microbiome influence on pregnancy success: breeding comparison of germ-free and conventionalized mice
Germ-free (GF) animals, which are entirely devoid of all microorganisms, are one of the most powerful tools for studying the role of the microbiome in a phenotype, moving the microbiome field from ...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
A big shout out to Dr ChudanXu, who led this project, and Dr Simona Antonacci, who provided invaluable technical expertise
tandfonline.com
The maternal microbiome influence on pregnancy success: breeding comparison of germ-free and conventionalized mice
Germ-free (GF) animals, which are entirely devoid of all microorganisms, are one of the most powerful tools for studying the role of the microbiome in a phenotype, moving the microbiome field from ...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
This paper is a reminder that rigorous science isn’t just about confirming hypotheses; it’s about staying open to the story the data is trying to tell Unexpected results can be the most informative - if we’re willing to follow where they lead
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Key take‑home messages: - The maternal microbiome is not optional - it plays a critical role in supporting pregnancy outcomes - Germ‑free breeding introduces hidden biological constraints that can confound experimental interpretation
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
In this case, the data led us to a cautionary tale about relying on germ‑free animals for breeding experiments Our study comparing germ‑free and conventionalised mice revealed just how profoundly the maternal microbiome shapes pregnancy success
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 13/01/2026
Our first paper of 2026 is out When we began this project, this was not the paper we set out to publish But science has a way of redirecting us toward the questions we should be asking #Microbiome researchers-this one’s for you www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... 🧵
tandfonline.com
The maternal microbiome influence on pregnancy success: breeding comparison of germ-free and conventionalized mice
Germ-free (GF) animals, which are entirely devoid of all microorganisms, are one of the most powerful tools for studying the role of the microbiome in a phenotype, moving the microbiome field from ...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
Excited to welcome Tim to our institute If you are in Melbourne and are interested in heart health and diet this will be a great event 👇👇👇
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
I was asked to share my Hypertension Australia Colin Johnston lecture, delivered at the joint Hypertension Australia-@ASCEPTanz last month in Adelaide So if you missed it, here it is: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qZn... #microbiome #hypertension #bloodpressure #resistantstarches #shortchainfattyacids
youtube.com
2025 Hypertension Australia Colin Johnston Lecture, delivered by Prof Francine Marques
YouTube video by Francine Marques
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
😎 Nelson Mandela Epic Fail Award - Inspired by Mandela’s quote ‘I never lose. I either win or learn’, this award recognizes failing but learning from it: winners Liz Vecchio, Phoebe Cheong, and Evany Dinakis
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
🏆 Research Rockstar Award - For achieving the highest number of peer-reviewed recognition as a PhD student: Chaoran Yang 🏆 Research Rockstar Award - For achieving the highest number of peer-reviewed recognition as a postdoctoral researcher: @rikeish.bsky.social
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
📈 The Master Organiser Award - For being the most organised person in the team and helping others improve their organisational skills: winner Chudan Xu, runner up Simona Antonacci
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
📰 Trend Tracker Award - For being the go-to person for communication trends and finding the latest papers in the field: (several times) winner @rikeish.bsky.social, runner up Chaoran Yang
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
🫂 Awesomeness Award - For being an overall great colleague: winner Phoebe Cheong, runner up Wendy Qin
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
😄 Funniest Person Ever Award (our most competitive award) - For bringing joy and laughter to the team: winner Wendy Qin, runner up Evany Dinakis
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
✨ Values Vanguard Award - For supporting the lab values and living by their own values: winner Evany Dinakis, runner up Liz Vecchio
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
💚 Resilience Pro Award - For being the most resilient person in the team and helping others improve their resilience: (several times) winner Chudan Xu, runner ups Joanne O'Donnell & Jenny Li
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
💡 Resourcefulness Award - For their problem-solving attitude that has helped our team thrive: Winner Simona Antonacci, runner up Joanne O'Donnell
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 05/01/2026
Announcing our lab annual award winners 🏆 Every year, our team votes on team members who contributed towards helping behaviours, something we fail to capture in promotion and fellowship applications Here are the 2025 award winners:
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
Lab presentations at the joint @ascept.bsky.social and Hypertension Australia meeting this week 🤩 #hypertension #microbiome #immunesystem
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
🌍 Why it matters: Our findings highlight how diet and gut microbiome (microbes, regional pH, metabolites) influence the host’s systemic immune regulation—with new connections and potential implications for chronic disease prevention
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
🔍 What we did: We combined metagenomes, in vivo colonic pH, & deep peripheral immune phenotyping (121 cell types & subtypes) to uncover novel host–microbe interactions in humans - the most detailed map of microbiome interaction w the human systemic immune system to date
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
✅ New preprint alert, led by final year PhD student Evany Dinakis 📄 Read it here: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.6... 🧬 Key insights: Gut microbiome composition and colonic pH are linked to systemic immune profiles in humans #microbiome #microbiota #immunesystem @microbiomevif.bsky.social
medrxiv.org
The gut microbiome and colonic pH shape the peripheral immune landscape in humans
The physicochemical environment of the gut, particularly colonic pH, plays a critical role in shaping host-microbe interactions; yet its influence on systemic immunity in humans remains poorly underst...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Congratulations to @rikeish.bsky.social, awarded the Victorian Cardiovascular Research Network inaugural award for best ECR paper of the year in the discovery category #microbiome #bloodpressure Kicking goals 👏👏👏 Full paper 👇👇👇 www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
ahajournals.org
Gut Microbiota Metabolites Sensed by Host GPR41/43 Protect Against Hypertension | Circulation Research
BACKGROUND: Fermentation of dietary fiber by the gut microbiota leads to the production of metabolites called short-chain fatty acids, which lower blood pressure and exert cardioprotective effects. Sh...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Congratulations to Rikeish R Muralitharan His major PhD paper published in Circulation Research in February 2025 is already a WoS Highly Cited paper 🤩 lnkd.in/gMbx5HyA
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
You can read more in our review published in Sept 25 in @natrevgastrohep.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...
nature.com
Parental diet and offspring health: a role for the gut microbiome via epigenetics - Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology
In this Review, Marques and colleagues discuss the evidence regarding the effects of parental diet on the health of offspring, with a focus on how changes to the gut microbiome alter epigenomic respon...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
💡 Take‑home: Maternal fibre intake during pregnancy is cardioprotective for offspring, but the effect may be exaggerated in males @monashuniversity.bsky.social
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
🧫 Flow cytometry → sex‑specific changes in monocytes & lymphocytes 🧬 Single‑cell RNAseq → fibrotic genes reduced in both sexes, but inflammatory genes downregulated only in males 🦠 Microbiome → male offspring showed more changes than females
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
In our latest paper in Clinical Sciences, led by PhD student Chaoran Yang, we reveal that maternal fibre intake doesn’t affect male and female offspring equally 👇 🔗 portlandpress.com/clinsci/arti...
portlandpress.com
Maternal dietary fibre intake results in sex-specific single-cell molecular changes in the heart of the offspring
Some types of dietary fibre undergo fermentation by the gut microbiome, producing microbial metabolites called short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) – these are protective against cardiovascular disease (CV...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
As our former PhD student Dr Anna Beale used to say: ✨ Women are not small men ✨ Last year, we showed in Circulation Research that maternal fibre intake during pregnancy protects offspring hearts via gut microbial metabolites (SCFAs) 🔗https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.124.324614
ahajournals.org
Maternal Diet and Gut Microbiota Influence Predisposition to Cardiovascular Disease in Offspring | Circulation Research
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Last year, we published a study in Circulation Research showing that maternal fibre intake during pregnancy was cardioprotective for the offspring via gut microbial metabolites known as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/...
ahajournals.org
Maternal Diet and Gut Microbiota Influence Predisposition to Cardiovascular Disease in Offspring | Circulation Research
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Reposted by Prof Francine Marques
Rikeish R Muralitharan MD, PhD @rikeish.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Thank you for the recognition! Grateful for the support from @fzmarques.bsky.social and Malindi, PhD student, lead coordinator for the study. Also to High BP Foundation for the seed funding!
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Thank you Tatiane 🙏
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Or as Brene Brown wrote “You can either invest a reasonable amount of time attending to fears and feelings, or squander an unreasonable amount of time trying to manage ineffective and unproductive behavior"
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
Gold thesis titles in this thread 🤣
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
A great honour to receive the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences Jian Zhou Medal last night from the Minister Mark Butler and AAHMS President Prof Louise Baur, alongside the other amazing medalist Prof Britta Regli-von Ungern-Sternberg
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 12/10/2025
Congratulations Dr Lizzie Kleeman, Dr Carol Gubert, @anthonyjhannan.bsky.social & co-authors 👏👏👏 Thank you for the invitation for @rikeish.bsky.social and I to help with the #microbiome analysis requested by reviewers - a pleasure to work with you as always @natureportfolio.nature.com
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Her PhD focuses on how the gut #microbiome and intestinal pH contribute to human physiology such as #bloodpressure and the #immunesystem Her papers so far include: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40560060/ pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38899764/ One more submitted, 2 under preparation! Watch this space
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pH-sensor GPR68 plays a role in how dietary fibre lowers blood pressure in a preclinical model of hypertension - PubMed
Dietary fibre lowers blood pressure (BP) via short-chain fatty acids, acidic metabolites released from fibre fermentation by bacteria in the large intestine. This acidic microenvironment may activate ...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Congratulations to our PhD student Evany Dinakis who completed her final milestone today, delivering a fantastic presentation 👏👏👏 an example of great science communication skills + great science #microbiome #bloodpressure @monashuniversity.bsky.social
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
There are guidelines for fibre intake (eg pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38586958/) Yes the amounts of fibre are correct, the diets used in mice were extreme, reusing samples from a previous paper (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32093510/) however we have data across several human populations
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Recommendations for the Use of Dietary Fiber to Improve Blood Pressure Control - PubMed
According to several international, regional, and national guidelines on hypertension, lifestyle interventions are the first-line treatment to lower blood pressure (BP). Although diet is one of the ma...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
If you missed Dr Chudan Xu's talk on what happens when we don't eat enough fibre, the preprint is now live 👇 www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1... #EESMicrobiome @events.embl.org
medrxiv.org
Lack of dietary fibre increases gut microbiome-derived uremic toxins that contribute to increased blood pressure
Insufficient dietary fibre intake is a known risk factor for high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, yet its mechanistic basis remains unclear. Here, we identify a gut microbial pathway linkin...
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Prof Francine Marques @fzmarques.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
Look forward to continuing the conversations from Australia! I’m off to UKE in Hamburg today and then the Max Planck Institute in Berlin on Tuesday For now, safe travels everyone!
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