[bioundgrd] FW: New Course: 7.343 - The Microbiome and Drug Delivery

[Crystal Boateng]

Dear students, please see the note below about a seminar being offered this Spring, 7.343: The Microbiome and Drug Delivery. A class poster is attached.
Best,
Crystal


New course: 7.343 Microbiome and Drug Delivery, Thur Feb 7th, 11am, 68-150, Coffee and cookies!


First session: Thursday Feb 7th, 11am, 68-150 (afterwards class time flexible depending on student group)

The Microbiome and Drug Delivery: Cross-species Communication in Health and Disease

There are more microbes permanently living in our gut than there are cells in the human body. This rich community of bacteria, fungi and viruses, called the microbiome, plays a central role in human health and disease. Recent research has linked this passenger community to nutrition, circadian rhythms, infectious disease, inflammatory disease, cancer, diabetes, arthritis and even immune system and nervous system development. The connections seem to be so far-reaching that some scientists are starting to consider this human-microbiome system as a “holobiont” or “superorganism.”


Why are we realizing this situation only now? Are microbes actually interacting with us so fundamentally? What are the mechanisms by which effects of the microbiome are mediated? Can we survive without our microbiome? How can we analyze such a complex system? Can we exploit the microbiome to improve human health? Can interactions with microbes be harnessed for drug delivery?

In this course, we will explore the primary scientific literature to find the answers to these questions and learn to critically assess observational and experimental data and to distinguish between correlation and causality.

Website: https://bit.ly/2FT15WZ
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