Gut Microbiota, Metabolic Disorders and Beyond

Organizer(s): Rémy G. Burcelin, Sven Pettersson and Tak W. Mak

Sponsored by Curemark LLC, Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences and Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

Summary of Meeting:

The hologenome theory of evolution proposes that natural selection acts not on the individual organism but rather on the “holobiont,” which consists of the organism together with microbiome (its genes and metabolites). When a holobiont is challenged by dramatic changes, such as altered diet or reduced physical activity, it employs adaptive mechanisms in the form of reshuffling its microbiome (resident microbial communities), but the underlying mechanisms of this molecular crosstalk remain to be determined. Effective study of the holobiont requires a systems biology approach: remove one component of the holobiont to study it in reductionist style and other parts also altered will be overlooked. Decades of reductionist research aimed at understanding the mechanisms responsible for the current dramatic epidemic of man-made metabolic diseases have not considered the holobiont perspective and have consequently missed the adaptation strategies of the microbiome but have set the stage to explore the inchoate holobiont perspective. Application of a systems biology approach to decipher molecular mechanisms underlying man-made metabolic diseases presents a unique opportunity to develop novel therapies that sustain health in a personalized manner. This meeting will discuss how the gut microbiome and its metabolites influence major molecular and physiological mechanisms responsible for man-made metabolic diseases. It will therefore incorporate investigators from diverse areas such as medicine, immunology, neurobiology, endocrinology, physiology, psychiatry, systems biology and microbiology. In addition, the nutritional, surgical and pharmacological aspects of innovative therapeutic strategies will be discussed in dialogue with scientists from pharmaceutical/nutritional companies. The gut microbiome is a neuroendocrine and antigenic organ whose rediscovery is necessary for our understanding of man-made metabolic diseases in the context of the holobiont.

Scholarship Deadline: December 17 2015

Discounted Abstract Deadline: December 17 2015

Abstract Deadline: January 20 2016

Discounted Registration Deadline: February 17 2016

Keystone Symposia thanks our Sponsor(s) for generously supporting this meeting:

We gratefully acknowledge additional support for this conference from:

We gratefully acknowledge additional in-kind support for this conference from those foregoing speaker expense reimbursements:

DuPont Nutrition and Health

Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences

Vaiomer

We gratefully acknowledge the generous grant for this conference provided by:

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Grant No. 1R13DK108621-01
Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by 1 R13 DK108621-01 from NIDDK. The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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