Microbes and Health
Organized by Jeffrey Gordon and Todd Klaenhammer
November 2-3, 2009
Irvine, CA
Meeting Overview:
This colloquium focused on characterization of the foundations of host-microbial symbioses, primarily in the human. Given the remarkable growth of the field of metagenomics, and the astonishing proliferation of human microbiome initiatives in many nations, it was timely to convene a colloquium that examined the assembly, composition, functions and dynamic operations of body habitat-associated microbial communities. The microbiota plays many important roles in maintaining health and in promoting various diseases and this colloquium discussed the experimental and computational approaches that are being, and need to be, deployed to comprehensively characterize our microbiome in health and disease, and interventional strategies that may be useful for its deliberate manipulation.
Video Available
Opening Addresses
Session Chair: Jeffrey Gordon, Washington University School of Medicine
Evolution of biological complexity and symbiosis
Nancy Moran, University of Arizona
Session I: Setting the Stage
The 16S rRNA renaissance: computational and experimental perspectives
Rob Knight, University of Colorado, Boulder
Looking at the tree of life
Jonathan A. Eisen, University of California, Davis
An integrated systems biology view of host microbial interactions
Elaine Holmes, Imperial College London
Approaches to study bioconversion of dietary polyphenols by gut microbiota
Elaine Vaughan, Unilever Research & Development
Exploring the oral microbial diversity using the OC chip
Bart Keijser, TNO
Metagenomic studies of the human gut
Joel Dore, INRA
Viral diversity in human and non-human habitats
Forest Rohwer, San Diego State University
Antibiotics: a tool to probe ecosystem robustness and diversity
David Relman, Stanford University
Session II: Case studies
Monitoring transcriptional responses in the human gut to the microbiota
Michiel Kleerebezem, Wageningen University
Using gnotobiotic zebrafish to dissect the foundations of host-microbial interactions
Karen Guillemin, University of Oregon
A deeper look into maternal programming of the infant gut microbiota
Ruth Ley, Cornell University
Gut microbiota of the elderly - The ELDERMET Consortium
Paul O'Toole, University College Cork
Tissue factor promotes microbiota-induced angiogenesis in the gut
Fredrik Backhed, University of Gothenburg
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Session III: Interactions between microbial communities and the immune system
Intestinal homeostasis and the role of innate recognition of microbes at the epithelial surface
Jerry Wells, Wageningen University
Innate immune responses to commensal bacteria
Sarkis Mazmanian, California Institute of Technology
Lessons about the interplay between the immune system and the microbiota
Wendy Garrett, Harvard University
A systems biology view of host-microbial interactions in IBD
Ramnik Xavier, Harvard University
Antimicrobials and potential modification of microbiota
Colin Hill, University College Cork
Evolution of the gut symbiont Lactobacillus reuteri
Jens Walter, University of Nebraska
An automated screen of secreted bacterial effector proteins to identify modulators of mammalian autophogy
Alan Huett, Massachusetts General Hospital
Session IV: Glycobiology redux
The human glycobiome and its impact on the infant microbiota
David Mills, University of California, Davis
Mucus - a legislator of host-microbial interactions
Gunnar C. Hansson, University of Gothenburg
Cell surface glycans as therapeutic agents
Dennis Kasper, Harvard University
Session V: Manipulations of the microbiota
Impact of dietary manipulations on human microbial ecology and health
Karen Scott, University of Aberdeen
The vagina microbiome and microbiota
Larry Forney, University of Idaho
Clinical manifestations of the vaginal microbiota in health or disease
Gregor Reid, University of Western Ontario
Closing address
Closing comments and moving forward, Todd Klaenhammer and Jeffrey Gordon