About this Event
The gut microbiome is composed of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, and aids in digestion and nutrient extraction. It also produces chemicals that influence immunity, mood, appetite and anxiety.
Restoration of the gut microbiome through methods like fecal microbiome transfer (FMT), diet and probiotics is gaining popularity. FMT involves transferring gut bacteria from healthy donors to patients and may aid in weight loss for obese individuals and weight gain for those with anorexia.
In this Liggins Institute public lecture, Professors Justin O’Sullivan, Wayne Cutfield, and Dr Theo Portlock will present findings on the microbiome's role in brain development, metabolic syndrome in obese adolescents and anorexia recovery.
Join us on Thursday 18 July to discover the science behind these groundbreaking trials and enjoy drinks and nibbles afterward.
About our speakers
Professor Justin O’Sullivan (above left) is a molecular microbiologist/computational biologist and Director of the Liggins Institute. Justin has honorary appointments at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, the University of Southampton, and A*STAR Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore. Justin leads multi-omic research that focuses on our interactions with the microbiome, complex genetic diseases, and acute care genome sequencing.
Professor Wayne Cutfield (centre) is Professor of Paediatric Endocrinology at the Liggins Institute and Director of A Better Start National Science Challenge. He is an honorary professor at Children’s Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, China. He and Justin lead the Gut Bugs research programme. He also leads clinical research that examines how environmental influences early in life can affect childhood growth and development in ways that could lead to chronic conditions in adult life.
Research Fellow Dr Theo Portlock (above right) is a systems biologist with a specialisation in AI and metagenomics. His research focuses on understanding the fundamental molecular mechanisms that underpin human health and disease. He specialises in understanding how relationships between the gut microbiome, blood metabolites, and brain function influence our day to day lives using interpreted machine learning methodologies. Theo has recently joined the Gut Bugs research team.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
The Liggins Institute, 85 Park Road, Auckland, New Zealand
NZD 0.00
