LFS Scholar Series - Featuring Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe

Date & Time

Thursday, 26 January 2023 - 10:00am to Thursday, 26 January 2023 - 11:30am

Location

MacMillan Building (2357 Main Mall) or Online via Zoom

Organizer

Faculty of Land and Food Systems

 

Land and Food System Scholar Series

LFS Scholar Series - Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe

Invited scholar: Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe

Hosted by:  Crystal Karakochuk, Human Nutrition

Title: Modeling host diet- gut microbe interactions in the 'Robobut' bioreactor model

Abstract:

There is now abundant evidence that the microbial consortium associated with a host – its microbiome – is critically important to the health of the host.  The gut microbiome is the most diverse ecosystem in the human body and how we feed this ecosystem, through the diet that we consume, plays a major role in the shaping of the ecosystem in terms of its composition and function.  However, studying complex microbial ecosystems from the human gut is not a trivial exercise. In this talk, I will describe the development of the Robogut as a model system to allow study of dietary shifts and their effects on the colonic microbiome, showcasing my lab's work on microbiomes associated with Type 1 diabetes, colorectal cancer, and hunter-gatherer populations, respectively.

Biography:

Dr. Emma Allen-Vercoe obtained her BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of London, and her PhD in Molecular Microbiology through an industrial partnership with Public Health England.   Emma started her faculty career at the University of Calgary in 2005, with a Fellow-to-Faculty transition award through CAG/AstraZeneca and CIHR, to study the normal microbes of the human gut.  In particular, she was among the few that focused on trying to culture these ‘unculturable’ microbes in order to better understand their biology.  To do this, she developed a model gut system to emulate the conditions of the human gut and allow communities of microbes to grow together, as they do naturally.  Emma moved her lab to the University of Guelph in late 2007, and has been a recipient of several Canadian Foundation for Innovation Awards that has allowed her to develop her specialist anaerobic fermentation laboratory further. This was boosted by the award of a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Human Gut Microbiome Function and Host Interactions, where she focuses on ‘missing microbes’ from the industrialized microbiome . In 2013, Emma co-founded NuBiyota, a research spin-off company that aims to create therapeutic ecosystems as biologic drugs, on a commercial scale.  The research enterprise for this company is also based in Guelph.

Join in-person or via Zoom:

Date: January 26, 2023

Time: 10:00-11:00 AM PST

Location: In-person at MCML 258, or via Zoom

This presentation will be followed by a meet and greet from 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM.

In-person seating is limited (capacity of 38), please register here.