Description:

The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics presents:

Ophelia Ventureli, PhD, Bacteriology and Chemical & Biological Engineering

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Title: Predicting and designing community-level functions of the human gut microbiome

Abstract:

The human gut microbiome is a major determinant of human physiology. The gut microbiome performs key functions including production and degradation of health-relevant metabolites and provides colonization resistance to intestinal pathogens. These community-level functions are shaped by a myriad of unknown microbe-microbe interactions. I will describe a data-driven approach that combines high-throughput experimental data with computational models to design the health-relevant functions of synthetic human gut communities. Developing the capability to predict and design the functions of gut microbiota hold tremendous therapeutic potential. Our work provides fundamental insights into the molecular and ecological mechanisms driving human gut microbiome functions.