Environment or Biology? Bridging the Gap with Chemistry

Join us at our third Bacon and Eggheads breakfast of the 2025–2026 parliamentary season on Thursday, March 12, 2026, with Dr. David Wishart, the 2025 NSERC Herzberg Medallist, as the guest speaker. We are grateful for the generous support of the Speakers of the House of Commons and the Senate in making this breakfast series possible.

Environment or Biology? Bridging the Gap with Chemistry

David Wishart, University of Alberta

Why do two people following identical diets develop entirely different body types? When we ask, "Environment or biology?" we are searching for the bridge connecting our DNA to the world we inhabit. Today, I will show you how that bridge is built with chemistry -- more specifically, a branch of chemistry called metabolomics. Metabolomics is the study of thousands of tiny molecules, called metabolites, that circulate in our bodies. These metabolites include sugars, fats, and vitamins. They shift constantly based on what we eat, the air we breathe, and where we live. Each person has a unique “chemical fingerprint” that changes over time. By measuring these chemical fingerprints, we witness how environment and biology interact in real time. What makes metabolomics revolutionary is its predictive power. These chemical signatures can be used to detect disease warning signs years before symptoms appear, enabling us to tailor personalized interventions (specific diets and lifestyle changes) to prevent illness before it takes hold. This is precision health in action. Canada has pioneered the fields of metabolomics and precision health. We led the Human Metabolome Project, established the essential infrastructure, and continue identifying chemical fingerprints for precision health. The impact is profound: today we screen newborns for rare disorders with a single drop of blood and identify chronic disease risks years before clinical symptoms emerge. Thanks to metabolomics, we are witnessing a fundamental shift in healthcare—from reactive medicine treating symptoms after they appear, toward proactive, personalized healthcare focusing on preventing disease before symptoms appear. This is the future I will explore with you today.

Dr. David Wishart is a Distinguished University Professor and Tier I Canada Research Chair at the University of Alberta. Widely considered the “father of metabolomics”, Wishart conceived and led the groundbreaking Human Metabolome Project, identifying over 240,000 human metabolites and transforming our understanding of human chemistry. As founder of the Metabolomics Innovation Centre (TMIC) and creator of essential databases and software tools including the Human Metabolome Database, DrugBank and MetaboAnalyst, Wishart has made metabolomics accessible to scientists worldwide. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and recipient of the prestigious NSERC Herzberg Gold Medal and Brockhouse Award, Dr. Wishart now focusing on using metabolomics to drive medicine towards proactive healthcare, disease prevention and precision nutrition.

This discussion will be in English - Simultaneous translation available.

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Sir John A. Macdonald (SJAM) Building, 144 Wellington Street, Ottawa, Canada

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