PAIR Distinguished Lecture Series: What is a healthy gut microbiome and why is it important to know?
Conference / Lecture
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Date
18 Mar 2024
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Organiser
PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research
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Time
16:15 - 17:45
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Venue
Senate Room (M1603), 16/F, Block M, PolyU Map
Speaker
Prof. Eugene B. CHANG
Remarks
Open to public
Summary
Indigenous to the different ecosystems of the gastrointestinal tract are trillions of microbes that comprise a vital organ essential for health of its host. Like other vital organs of the body, the gut microbial organ provides benefit regionally and systemically by promoting processes like nutrient digestion and absorption, development and regulation of host immunity, and maintenance of metabolic homeostasis. On the flip side, the gut microbiome can be damaged and dysfunctional (a state called dysbiosis), leading to increased risk and incidence of many disorders, including Clostridioides difficile colitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, neurologic disorders, diabetes and obesity to name a few. Attempts to repair or restore the health of the gut microbiome have been a challenge because there has been no consensus on how to define or even measure gut microbiome health (eubiosis). Without knowing what eubiosis is makes it even more problematic to define dysbiosis. Not surprisingly, the development and practice of current microbiome-based interventions (e.g., live biotherapeutics, medical foods, and fecal microbial transplants) have been largely empirical and often of questionable value. Quantitative metrics that assess the functional state of the gut microbiome are therefore needed. The rationale and development of such tools will be a major focus of this presentation.
Keynote Speaker
Prof. Eugene B. CHANG
Martin Boyer Distinguished Professor of Medicine Director, Microbiome Medicine Program Knapp Center for Biomedical Discovery The University of Chicago, USA
Prof. Eugene B. CHANG is the Martin Boyer Distinguished Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. Through the lens of the gut microbiome, Prof. Chang studies host-microbe interactions and disease mechanisms of the gut in states of health and disease (primarily IBD and metabolic disorders). To understand the mechanisms underlying these processes, his lab employs experimental, clinical, and bioinformatic (machine learning and artificial intelligence) approaches to define specific mechanisms of action and biomarkers relevant to the intestinal epithelial, immune and metabolic homeostasis. He was an active participant in the NIH Human Microbiome Project and currently holds several NIH grants that involve team science collaborations with colleagues from multi-disciplinary backgrounds. Prof. Chang has been the Director for over two decades of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney (NIDDK) P30 Digestive Disease Research Core Center (DDRCC), member of the NIH National Commission on Digestive Diseases, the NIDDK Council, recipient of the NIH MERIT award, Director of the IBD Research Laboratories, past-President of the Gastroenterology Research Group, Chairman of the AGA council, several terms on the governing board of the American Gastroenterological Association, the NIDDK advisory council, and Director of the University of Chicago Microbiome Medicine Program. He has an extensive record of successful mentorship over 4 decades as the PI and program director of a NIH training grant (T32) in Digestive Health and Diseases, developer of the Academic Skills Workshop that is now part of the educational portfolio of the American Gastroenterological Association, life-time Master of the Academy of Distinguished Medical Educators at the University of Chicago, and recipient of numerous mentorship and teaching awards. His works have been published in prominent journals including Nature, Cell, and Science.
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