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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

 

 

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