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  • Humans & the Microbiome

Humans & the Microbiome

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Micro-organisms cover our skin and fill our guts. These bacteria, viruses, and fungi — collectively called the human microbiome — have significant impact on human health. This program brings together anthropologists, biologists, and other scholars to address questions about the microbiome’s impact on human health and development, and how it is affected by individual and societal behaviour.

 

RESEARCH AND SOCIETAL IMPACT HIGHLIGHTS

Microbiome studies with distinct communities

A new Catalyst Fund collaboration between Program Co-Director and anthropologist Melissa Melby (University of Delaware) and Fellow and microbiologist Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello (Rutgers University), will explore interconnections between the microbiome, lifestyle, environment, and health. By working with study participants from the indigenous Jotï of the Venezuelan Amazon, who have had minimal influence from stressors derived from modern medical, hygienic, and dietary practices, the researchers hope to understand the associations between lifestyle changes and microbiome changes, as well as the resulting health implications.

Developing the next generation of public health experts

Program members continued their work to support the next generation of public health leaders by co-creating public health curriculum materials grounded in microbiome research and public health priorities. This year saw the development of pilot course content covering four critical themes: breastfeeding, diet and nutrition, antimicrobial resistance, and health inequities.

A step forward in Parkinson’s research

Co-Director Brett Finlay (University of British Columbia) established that there is a major link between diet, the microbiome, and Parkinson’s disease. His research shows that by following the MIND diet (a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets), the onset of Parkinson’s was delayed by 17 years in women and 10 years in men. This represents a major advance in fighting the disease, for which there is no cure.

Exploring biological rhythms through cattle

CIFAR Fellow and breastmilk expert Meghan Azad (University of Manitoba & Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba), and CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar and animal microbiome expert Jessica Metcalf (Colorado State University), partnered on an exciting new Catalyst Fund project with the potential to inform our understanding of how daily cycles of milk contents impact newborn development and health. They are overcoming the persistent challenge of studying milk chronobiology in humans through a previously unexplored approach: studying dairy milk and its potential as a model to understand similar systems in humans.

Path to Societal Impact

We invite experts in industry, civil society, healthcare and government to join fellows in our Humans & the Microbiome program for in-depth, cross-sectoral conversations that drive change and innovation.

Leaders from public health schools and CIFAR fellows in the Humans & the Microbiome program are working together to develop new public health curricula.

Areas of focus:

  • Integrating emerging evidence from microbiome research into health systems
  • Developing microbiome-based public health curriculum materials that enhance public health messages

 

Founded

2014

Renewal Dates

2020

Partners

Brain Canada Foundation through the Canada Brain Research Fund

Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Microbiology
Developmental, evolutionary and stem cell biology
Bacteriology
Immunology
Anthropology
Biochemistry
Public Health
History
Neuroscience
Philosophy

CIFAR Contact

Kate Geddie

Fellows & Advisors

Program Directors

B. Brett Finlay

B. Brett Finlay

Program Co-Director

Humans & the Microbiome
University of British Columbia
Canada
Melissa Melby

Melissa Melby

Program Co-Director

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Delaware
United States

Fellows

Katherine R. Amato

Katherine R. Amato

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Humans & the Microbiome
Northwestern University
United States
Meghan Azad

Meghan Azad

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Manitoba & Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba
Canada
Thomas Bosch

Thomas Bosch

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Kiel
Germany
Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Rutgers University
United States
Eran Elinav

Eran Elinav

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Weizmann Institute of Science
Israel
Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Humans & the Microbiome
Technion
Israel
Tamara Giles-Vernick

Tamara Giles-Vernick

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Institut Pasteur
France
Philippe Gros

Philippe Gros

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
McGill University
Canada
Karen Guillemin

Karen Guillemin

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Oregon
United States
Frédéric Keck

Frédéric Keck

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Musée du quai Branly
France
Sven Pettersson

Sven Pettersson

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Nanyang Technological University
Singapore
Hendrik N. Poinar

Hendrik N. Poinar

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
McMaster University
Canada
Tobias Rees

Tobias Rees

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Berggruen Institute
United States
Philippe J. Sansonetti

Philippe J. Sansonetti

Associate Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Institut Pasteur Collège de France
France
Carolina Tropini

Carolina Tropini

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
University of British Columbia
Canada
Liping Zhao

Liping Zhao

Fellow

Humans & the Microbiome
Rutgers University
United States

Advisors

Martin Blaser

Martin Blaser

Advisory Committee Co-Chair

Humans & the Microbiome
Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine
United States
Kate Brown

Kate Brown

Advisory Committee Co-Chair

Humans & the Microbiome
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
United States
Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich

Stanislav Dusko Ehrlich

Advisor

Humans & the Microbiome
University College London
United Kingdom
Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Margaret J. McFall-Ngai

Advisor

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Hawaii at Manoa
United States
Mark Nichter

Mark Nichter

Advisor

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Arizona
United States

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars

Katherine R. Amato

Katherine R. Amato

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Humans & the Microbiome
Northwestern University
United States
Hiutung Chu

Hiutung Chu

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
University of California San Diego
United States
Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Naama Geva-Zatorsky

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Humans & the Microbiome
Technion
Israel
Louis-Patrick Haraoui

Louis-Patrick Haraoui

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Université de Sherbrooke
Canada
Elizabeth Johnson

Elizabeth Johnson

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Cornell University
United States
Jean-Philippe Julien

Jean-Philippe Julien

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
Hospital for Sick Children
Canada
Tal Korem

Tal Korem

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
Columbia University
United States
Alexander Kwarteng

Alexander Kwarteng

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2017-2019

Humans & the Microbiome
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Ghana
Corinne Maurice

Corinne Maurice

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2016-2018

Humans & the Microbiome
McGill University
Canada
Jessica L. Metcalf

Jessica L. Metcalf

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2018-2020

Humans & the Microbiome
Colorado State University
United States
Carolina Tropini

Carolina Tropini

Fellow
CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
University of British Columbia
Canada
Eduardo A. Undurraga

Eduardo A. Undurraga

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholars 2021-2023

Humans & the Microbiome
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Chile
Jennifer Zenker

Jennifer Zenker

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
Monash University
Australia
Wei Zhang

Wei Zhang

CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar 2019-2021

Humans & the Microbiome
University of Guelph
Canada

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