Save the Date* IOM public workshop on “Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease ” 3/18-19 in DC

INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE

*SAVE THE DATE*

The Forum on Microbial Threats is pleased to announce a public workshop on:

Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease

March 18-19, 2013

Keck Building, Room 100

500 Fifth St., NW

Washington, DC 20001

Investigations of microbial ecology in a variety of organisms and contexts have begun to illuminate the properties of host-associated microorganisms. These observations have revealed a complex and dynamic network of interactions across the spectrum of “host”, “microbe”, and “environmental” niches that may influence states of health and disease. Alterations in the composition and dynamics of the human microbiota have been associated with a variety of complex diseases –including such chronic conditions as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and the inflammatory bowel diseases. This ‘ecologically’ informed view is a paradigm shift away from the conventional “one-microbe, one-disease” perspective of infection and may lead to new insights for health maintenance, disease prevention, and treatment approaches in humans, animals, and plants.

On March 18 and 19, 2013 the Institute of Medicine’s Forum on Microbial Threats will host a public workshop, in Washington, D.C., to explore the scientific and therapeutic implications of microbial ecology in states of health and disease. Topics to be explored may include: host-microbe interactions in humans, animals, and plants; emerging insights into how microbes may influence the development and maintenance of states of health and disease; the impacts of environmental change(s) on the formation, function, and stability of microbial communities; and research challenges and opportunities for this emerging field of inquiry. This meeting is an update of topics discussed at a 2002 Forum workshop: The infectious etiology of chronic diseases.

The workshop is free and open to the public, but registration is required. A DRAFT Agenda for this meeting is attached for your information.

Click here to register.

Click here for the Meeting Website.

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DRAFT AGENDA-March 2013 Microbial Ecology Workshop-012913.pdf

Author: Jonathan Eisen

I am an evolutionary biologist and a Professor at U. C. Davis. (see my lab site here). My research focuses on the origin of novelty (how new processes and functions originate). To study this I focus on sequencing and analyzing genomes of organisms, especially microbes and using phylogenomic analysis View all posts by Jonathan Eisen