Genelle Lunken
PhD, RD, BSc
Investigator, BC Children's Hospital
Registered Dietitian, IBD Centre of BC
Urolithiasis
Hanstock, S. and Ferreira, D. and Adomat, H. and Eltit, F. and Wang, Q. and Othman, D. and Nelson, B. and Chew, B. and Miller, A. and Lunken, G. and Lange, D.
DOI: 10.1007/s00240-024-01672-2BMJ Open
Massaro, C.A. and Meade, S. and Lemari{\'e}, F.L. and Kaur, G. and Bressler, B. and Rosenfeld, G. and Leung, Y. and Williams, A.-J. and Lunken, G.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-094280Journal of the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology
Smyth, M. and Lunken, G. and Jacobson, K.
DOI: 10.1093/jcag/gwad058Gut Microbes
Buttar, J. and Kon, E. and Lee, A. and Kaur, G. and Lunken, G.
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2024.2399360Nature Microbiology
Whelan, K. and Alexander, M. and Gaiani, C. and Lunken, G. and Holmes, A. and Staudacher, H.M. and Theis, S. and Marco, M.L.
DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01831-6American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Lunken, G.R.
DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.01.022Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Cook, L. and Wong, M.Q. and Rees, W.D. and Schick, A. and Lisko, D.J. and Lunken, G.R. and Wang, X. and Peters, H. and Oliveira, L. and Lau, T. and Mah, R. and Bressler, B. and Levings, M.K. and Steiner, T.S.
DOI: 10.1093/ibd/izad238Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Tsai, K. and Ma, C. and Han, X. and Allaire, J. and Healey, G.R. and Crowley, S.M. and Yu, H. and Jacobson, K. and Xia, L. and Priatel, J.J. and Vallance, B.A.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2022.10.004Digital Health
Erlich, M. and Lindblad, S. and Haskey, N. and Clarkin, D.H. and Dong, T. and Harvie, R. and Lunken, G. and Pirnack, J. and Jacobson, K.
DOI: 10.1177/20552076231203664Gut Microbes
Meade, S. and Liu Chen Kiow, J. and Massaro, C. and Kaur, G. and Squirell, E. and Bressler, B. and Lunken, G.
DOI: 10.1080/19490976.2023.2287073Scientific Data
Rodriguez, C.I. and Keshavarzian, A. and Hamaker, B.R. and Liu, F. and Lunken, G.R. and Rasmussen, H. and Zhou, H. and Tap, J. and Swanson, K.S. and Ukhanova, M. and Leclerc, M. and Gotteland, M. and Navarrete, P. and Kovatcheva-Datchary, P. and Dahl, W.J. and Martiny, J.B.H.
DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02254-4medRxiv
Erlich, M. and Lindblad, S. and Haskey, N. and Clarkin, D.H. and Dong, T. and Harvie, R. and Lunken, G. and Pirnack, J. and Jacobson, K.
DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.23.23287648ISME Journal
Kim, C.C. and Lunken, G.R. and Kelly, W.J. and Patchett, M.L. and Jordens, Z. and Tannock, G.W. and Sims, I.M. and Bell, T.J. and Hedderley, D. and Henrissat, B. and Rosendale, D.I.
DOI: 10.1038/s41396-023-01419-8Genelle R. Healey and Liam Golding and Alana Schick and Abdelilah Majdoubi and Pascal M. Lavoie and Bruce A. Vallance
DOI: 10.1101/2022.08.24.2227914308 / 2022
Gut
Lunken, G.R. and Golding, L. and Schick, A. and Majdoubi, A. and Lavoie, P.M. and Vallance, B.A.
DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2022-328556Genelle R. Healey and Kevin Tsai and Daniel J. Lisko and Laura Cook and Bruce A. Vallance and Kevan Jacobson
DOI: 10.1101/2021.02.02.42940302 / 2021
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Eindor-Abarbanel, A. and Healey, G.R. and Jacobson, K.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212506Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Healey, G.R. and Tsai, K. and Schick, A. and Lisko, D.J. and Cook, L. and Vallance, B.A. and Jacobson, K.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jcmgh.2021.06.011Nutrients
Genelle R. Healey and Larissa S. Celiberto and Soo Min Lee and Kevan Jacobson
DOI: 10.3390/nu1210320410 / 2020
ISME
DOI: 10.1038/s41396-019-0363-602 / 2019
British Journal of Nutrition
Genelle Healey and Rinki Murphy and Christine Butts and Louise Brough and Kevin Whelan and Jane Coad
DOI: 10.1017/S000711451700344001 / 2018
Immunology
Celiberto, L.S. and Graef, F.A. and Healey, G.R. and Bosman, E.S. and Jacobson, K. and Sly, L.M. and Vallance, B.A.
DOI: 10.1111/imm.12939Nutrition Reviews
DOI: 10.1093/nutrit/nux062Bioactive Carbohydrates and Dietary Fibre
DOI: 10.1016/j.bcdf.2017.07.001BMJ Open
Healey, G. and Brough, L. and Butts, C. and Murphy, R. and Whelan, K. and Coad, J.
DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012504Nutrients
Healey, G. and Brough, L. and Murphy, R. and Hedderley, D. and Butts, C. and Coad, J.
DOI: 10.3390/nu8090558Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of Australia
We plan to determine whether various dietary components, including food additives, dietary fibres, and polyphenolics, impact the composition and functional capacity of the virome (viruses) and mycobiome (fungi) in healthy individuals and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Diet has a profound impact on the gut microbiome (collection of microorganisms in the gut), however, the vast majority of research to date only focuses on the modulating capacity of diet in the context of the gut bacteria. Additional research is therefore needed to elucidate the impact diet has on shaping the viral and fungal communities within the gut. This is particularly important as recent research has established that the virome and mycobiome are likely implicated in the development and management of immune-mediated conditions such as IBD.
In this translational research project we aim to conduct a randomized controlled trial to determine whether enriching exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) with fibre will prevent gut microbiome dysbiosis (imbalance) and enhance disease outcomes compared to a fibre-free EEN formula. Additionally, we will determine whether there is a gut microbiome signature, and/or specific dietary components associated with EEN response and/or sustained remission.
Weston Family Microbiome Initative – “Effect of supplemented toddler diets on the gut microbiome and its association with neurodevelopmental outcomes” – $300,000 over 2 years – Co-investigator (2022-2024)
Weston Family Microbiome Initative – “Characterizing the gut microbiome in patients during COVID-19 infection” – $125,700 over 2 years – Co-investigator (2020-2022)
Weston Family Microbiome Initative – “Leveraging the gut microbiota in treatment refractory epilepsy” – $150,000 over 2 years – Co-investigator (2019-2021)
Michael Smith Health Research BC Trainee Award – 2018-2022
People’s Choice Best Poster Award – IMPACTT Canadian Microbiome Symposium – 2021
Best Presentation Award – Canadian Digestive Disease Week – 2021
Trainee Prize for Abstract Submission – Canadian Digestive Disease Week – 2021
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment PhD Scholarship – New Zealand Government – 2014-2017
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Congratulations to BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR) and Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) investigators and their teams who were awarded funding through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Spring 2025 Project Grant competition.

Dr. Genelle Lunken started running at age three. She leapt into track and field, kickball, as well as rugby — even though it was considered a "boy's sport" in her native New Zealand — tennis, volleyball, cricket, golf — even lawn bowling. She also rolled into gymnastics, "But I was terrible at that. I was…
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