Thomas D. Horvath, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology & Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine
Bioanalytical Chemist, Virginia & L.E. Simmons Family Foundation Mass Spectrometry Laboratory
Co-Director, Texas Medical Center - Digestive Diseases Center (NIH P30DK056338)
Phone:
832-824-0904
Languages: English
Departments:
Get to know Thomas D. Horvath, PhD
Dr. Horvath’s efforts are keenly focused on the development of bioanalytical methods to measure endogenous and exogenous small molecules and proteins from an assortment of biological fluids and tissue extracts. As a member of the Texas Children's Research Institute-Microbiome Center, he applies LC-MS/MS-based methods to examine how specific microbial-derived metabolites or proteins can benefit, impede, or be diagnostic of the human health condition. His interest is in developing targeted metabolomics methods has resulted in numerous publications that report how specific microbes can influence intestinal biology and modulate the mammalian gut-brain axis.
Dr. Horvath is a member of the following:
Microbiome Center, Texas Children's Research Institute
Texas Children's Research Institute
Cerebellum Research Center, Duncan Neurological Research Institute
Education
| School | Education | Degree | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | Post-doctoral Fellowship | Post-Doctoral Fellow Nutritional Biochemistry | 2011 |
| University of Michigan | PhD | Doctor of Philosophy | 2008 |
| University of Michigan | Masters | Master of Science | 2002 |
| Eastern Michigan University | Bachelors | Bachelor of Science | 2000 |
| Ivy Tech State College | Associates | Associates | 1996 |
Organizations
| Organization Name | Role |
|---|---|
| American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | Member |
| American Chemical Society (ACS) | Member |
| American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) | Member |
| American Society for Microbiology (ASM) | Member |
| Mass Spectrometry & Advances in the Clinical Laboratory (MSACL) | Steering Committee Member |
| Metabolomics Association of North America (MANA) | Member |
Honors and awards
- 2023
-
Global Thought Leader in Mass Spectrometry, SCIEX
- 2015
-
Steve Berger Academic ASMS Competitive Travel Award Winner – Agilent
* Texas Children’s Hospital physicians’ licenses and credentials are reviewed prior to practicing at any of our facilities. Sections titled From the Doctor, Professional Organizations and Publications were provided by the physician’s office and were not verified by Texas Children’s Hospital.
Research interests
LC-MS/MS-based metabolomics, lipidomics, proteomics
Piper McKee, Rachel Edens, Rachel Stubler, Renata Rocha do Nascimento, Charulekha Packirisamy, Casper van Altena, Lauren Giordano, Colleen LeBlanc, Selene Shore, Jessica Hartman, Robin Muise-Helmricks, Andrew Percy, Thomas Horvath, Kristen Engevik, Melinda Engevik, Amy Engevik. Myosin 5b Deficiency Alters Liver Proliferation, Zonation and Bile Acid Composition. Hepatology Communications, Feb 12;10(3):e00899 (2026). doi: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000899
Anna Tingler, Charulekha Packirisamy, Alyssa Guterriez, Adelaide Horvath, Makenna Grozis, Sigmund Haidacher, Kathleen Hoch, Anthony Haag, Numan Oezguen, Kristen Engevik, Amy Engevik, Thomas Horvath, Melinda Engevik. Commensal Human Gut Microbes Produce Unique Patterns of Neuro-active Compounds. iScience, Dec 11;29(2):114424 (2025). doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.114424
Taryn Eubank, Jinhee Jo, M Jahangir Alam, Khurshida Begum, Jacob McPherson, Thanh Phuong Le, Thomas Horvath, Sigmund Haidacher, Eugene Poggio, Rong Lin, Corinne Seng Yue, Murray Ducharme, Georges Koudssi, Julie Mercier, Jeffery Alder, Michael Silverman, Kevin Garey for the Ibezapolstat Phase 2 Investigator Group. Efficacy, safety, pharmacokinetics, and associated microbiome changes of ibezapolstat compared with vancomycin in adults with Clostridioides difficile infection: a phase 2b, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter study. Lancet Microbe, Aug;6(8):101126 (2025). doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2025.101126
Kristen Engevik, Amber Hazzard, Brenton Puckett, Kathleen Hoch, Sigmund Haidacher, Anthony Haag, Jennifer Spinler, James Versalovic, Melinda Engevik, Thomas Horvath. Phylogenetically diverse bacterial species produce histamine. Systemic and Applied Microbiology, 47(5): 126539 (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.syapm.2024.126539
Ian Lillie, Charles Booth, Adelaide Horvath, Matthew Mondragon, Melinda Engevik, Thomas Horvath. Characterizing arginine, ornithine, and putrescine pathways in enteric pathobionts. Microbiology Open, 13:e1408 (2024). DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1408
Melinda Engevik, Santosh Thapa, Ian Lillie, Mary Beth Yacyshyn, Bruce Yacyshyn, Andrew Percy, Donald Chace, Thomas Horvath. Repurposing dried blood spot (DPS) technology to examine bile acid profiles in dried fecal (DFS) samples. American Journal of Physiology-Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, 326: G95–G106 (2024). DOI: 10.1152/ajpgi.00188.2023
Thomas Horvath, Sigmund Haidacher, Melinda Engevik, Berkley Luck, Wenly Ruan, Faith Ihekweazu, Meghna Bajaj, Kathleen Hoch, Numan Oezguen, Jennifer Spinler, James Versalovic, Anthony Haag. I Repurposing dried blood spot gut-brain-axis using LC-MS/MS-based targeted metabolomics. Nature Protocols, 18(2):490-529 (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41596-022-00767-7
Horvath TD*, Ihekweazu FD*, Haidacher SJ, Ruan W, Engevik KA, Fultz R, Hoch KM, Luna RA, Oezguen N, Spinler JK, Haag AM, Versalovic J, Engevik MA. Bacteroides ovatus colonization influences the abundance of intestinal neurotransmitters. iScience, 2022, 25:104158.