- GLOW (Gut Linked Outcomes in Wellbeing) investigates how the human gut microbiome influences mental health.
- Multi-institutional study represents a unique opportunity for Singapore to lead globally in pioneering microbiome-based approaches to mental health, particularly within diverse and urban Asian populations.
- Amid rising rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout affecting Singaporeans across age groups, this research endeavour, which will focus on prevention rather than just treatment, is a timely initiative.
SINGAPORE, 10 OCTOBER 2025 – A new research initiative, GLOW (Gut Linked Outcomes in Wellbeing) will be launched in Singapore to investigate how the human gut microbiome—often described as the body’s “second genome”—influences mental health.
The multi-institutional team, comprising scientists and clinicians from Duke-NUS Medical School; the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Genome Institute of Singapore (A*STAR GIS); NHG Health’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH), NHG Polyclinics and Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH); Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine (LKCMedicine) at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore; the National University of Singapore (NUS); and Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE) aims to uncover how gut microbes may shape mood, cognition, and mental health and wellbeing.
Building on participants from PRECISE-SG100K – an initiative which collects genomic and health data from consented 100,000 Singaporeans to better understand disease risk and inform tailored healthcare strategies – the three-year study will recruit over 6,000 participants from all races, including both healthy individuals and those with lived experience of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, to investigate how the gut microbiome influences mental wellbeing.
By collecting biological samples (stool, skin, saliva, and blood) and comprehensive psychological data across Singapore’s major ancestry groups, researchers aim to uncover how microbial ecosystems interact with mood, cognition, and overall mental health. The study integrates cutting-edge multi-omics technologies, which are advanced methods that examine how multiple biological systems interact all at once, to generate research insights that will inform the development of more precise and locally relevant mental health interventions. Study participants will also undergo mental health evaluations, and complete health and lifestyle questionnaires.
The study participants will be enrolled through clinical partners via referral at IMH, TTSH, and NHG Polyclinics. They will also be added as new members of the existing PRECISE-SG100K cohort.
Enrolment will commence only after securing ethical approvals and establishing comprehensive oversight procedures to safeguard participant welfare and data privacy.
Gut microbes produce compounds that influence inflammation, brain signalling, and stress responses—pathways connected to mental health. Imbalance of such microbes has been linked to conditions like depression, anxiety, and cognitive disorders.
Currently, researchers are beginning to understand that while most serotonin is produced and used in the gut, the gut-brain axis allows for complex communication between the digestive and nervous systems.
GLOW combines expertise from psychiatry, population health, genomics, gut health (gastroenterology), and data science to move beyond simply identifying correlations and work towards understanding causative pathways. The research will have a focus on preventive care, and aims to inform future treatments and interventions.
This study, made possible through a philanthropic gift, aims to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world applications to improve patient health outcomes. It also represents a unique opportunity for Singapore to lead globally in pioneering microbiome-based approaches to mental health, particularly within diverse and urban Asian populations.
“This multi-institutional initiative reflects our shared goal to address the challenge of mental health through innovative, science-driven and team-based solutions,” said Professor Patrick Tan, Dean-designate of Duke-NUS Medical School and Executive Director of PRECISE. “By bringing together PRECISE’s precision medicine platform with Duke-NUS’ strengths in biomedical research, we aim to uncover how the Asian gut microbiome shapes mental health. These insights could guide not only more targeted interventions in Singapore but also contribute to global understanding of mental health in diverse populations.”
“There is growing evidence that the gut and brain are deeply connected through complex biochemical pathways, but we lack studies grounded in local populations,” said Professor John Chambers, Lead Principal Investigator (PI), PRECISE and PRECISE-SG100K.
“Our goal is to bring this science out of the lab and into the clinic – so patients, caregivers, and doctors can benefit from precision insights that are both biologically and culturally relevant,” added Professor Chambers, who is also Chief Scientific Officer, PRECISE and Programme Director of the Population & Global Health Research Programme at LKCMedicine.
"Understanding why some patients respond better to certain therapies than others is a major clinical gap," said Associate Professor Jimmy Lee, Senior Consultant and Clinician-Scientist at the Institute of Mental Health, NHG Health. "By studying the microbiome alongside mental health conditions such as depression, we hope to gain new insights into biological pathways that could inform better diagnosis, prevention, and treatment. For patients, this research holds promise that one day care for depression may not only involve the mind, but also the body in a more holistic way—potentially opening up new avenues for mental health research in Singapore."
“The human gut microbiome is a powerful, largely untapped resource,” said Associate Professor Niranjan Nagarajan, Associate Director, AI & Compute at the A*STAR Genome Institute of Singapore, and Associate Professor at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and School of Computing at the National University of Singapore. “Emerging research suggests that the human gut microbiome may influence brain function through its interactions with the nervous and immune systems. In addition, it plays a key role in regulating immunity and metabolism. We are only beginning to uncover its potential in the context of mental health.”