February 6
2014
Biodesign Institute Auditorium
Over the last decade, there has been an explosion in interest in the human microbiome both from the scientific community and the general public. This interest has been driven, in part, by the development of tools for identifying and studying the composition and functional capacity of microbes that coexist with the human host. Our gut harbors a complex community of over 100 trillion microbes that influence our normal physiology, metabolism and immune function. Disruption of this gut microbiome has been linked with a number of gastrointestinal disorders, metabolic disorders and immune-mediated conditions. In this presentation, we will provide an overview of the human microbiome focusing on the gut microbiome. We will then highlight research on the potential role of the gut microbiome in the development of obesity while also briefly reviewing its potential influence in the area of cancer. Finally, we will consider the manipulation of the gut microbiota as a potential option to treat disease.
