NCCR Microbiomes Seminars Spring 2021
The NCCR Microbiomes had the chance to welcome Matthias Lütolf as the first external invited speaker in our Seminar Series on 2 February. Lütolf heads the Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering (LSCB) at EPFL and is a world-leading scientist in the field of organoids—miniature tissues and organs differentiated in the lab from stem cells. Mini-intestines have huge potential for microbiome research as well, since they can be colonized by selected microbes under tightly controlled conditions. Our attendees learned about this exciting prospect during Lütolf’s talk: ‘Engineering next-generation intestinal organoids for modelling host-microbe interactions’.
On 2 March we were honoured to host Jennifer Martiny, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California Irvine. Martiny is a leading expert in the origin of microbial diversity and its consequences for ecosystem functioning, in habitats ranging from soils to oceans. In her talk, ‘Capturing ecological and evolutionary responses of soil microbiomes to environmental change’, Martiny presented the results of innovative microbial soil community transplant experiments that can inform us on the effects of a changing climate.
The upcoming external guests in the NCCR Microbiomes Seminar Series are:
6 April: Harro Bouwmeester, University of Amsterdam
Belowground chemical communication of plants with other organisms and MiCRop(s).
4 May: Willem de Vos, University of Helsinki and Wageningen University
The human microbiome: from structure to solutions.
The seminars are online and open to anyone interested. Find more information here.