Joseph Petrosino ,Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA

Translating the microbiome of mice and men
Advancements in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies and strategies for the assessment of the human microbiome (the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that colonize the human body) has increased dramatically our understanding of how the commensal microbiota impact health and disease. The Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research (CMMR) at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) was established to identify microbial associations with heath and disease and translate this information into actionable diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Since its inception, the CMMR has launched over 300 genomic-based microbiome studies with over 180 collaborators from around the world. These projects include dozens of diseases in nearly all body sites, and have revealed unique microbial associations that we are dissecting using one or more cell and model animal systems, including stem-cell-derived gastric enteroids and germ free mice and rats. Among these projects is an international prospective study of type 1 diabetes, multiple studies in cancer and cancer treatment, and a murine model for autism. In these lectures, we will explore some of the interesting associations discovered in the CMMR, the methods we use to reveal these associations, and how animal and cell-based models, among other tools, are being used to learn more about how the commensal microbiota impact their host and vice versa.