Speaker: Dr Jan Claesen will present seminar entitled: Mining the Human Microbiome for Bioactive Small Molecules

Date:  13 July 2017
Time: 11:00am
Venue: Quadram Institute Bioscience Lecture Theatre

Abstract:
Bacteria use small molecule chemicals to interact with each other and with their eukaryotic host. We use a combination of activity-driven and genomics-driven approaches to mine the human commensal microbiota for bioactive molecules, as well as the genes that encode their production. The ClusterFinder algorithm was developed to scan bacterial DNA for biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), identifying new classes of chemical compounds. Genetic and biochemical characterization BGCs revealed molecules with antibacterial, biofilm inducing and immunomodulatory functions. The identification of small molecule interactors produced by human commensals contributes to a better understanding of the complex interplay that is taking place in the communities from our microbiome. This will facilitate the development of therapeutic strategies to influence community structures with the aim to eliminate already established pathogens or inhibit their colonization prior to hospitalization.

Biography:
I have always been fascinated by the molecular mechanisms that underlie the macroscopic biological world that surrounds us and this led me to study Biological Engineering at the KU Leuven, mastering in Cell and Gene Biotechnology. During this time, I became intrigued by the wealth of roles bacteria play in our daily lives and their potential applications for medicine and health. I explored this further during my PhD in the lab of Prof. Mervyn Bibb, at the John Innes Centre, studying the genetics and biosynthesis of ribosomally synthesized and post-translationally modified peptide antibiotics in Streptomyces.

After my PhD, I joined the lab of Prof. Michael Fischbach in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, USA. My focus shifted to the characterisation of bacterial metabolites that mediate microbe-microbe and microbe-host interactions in the human microbiome.

I returned to Norwich in 2016 to join the Quadram Institute. My group uses a combination of genetic and biochemical techniques to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that drive community structure and dynamics in the human microbiome, and to engineer commensal bacteria for fundamental and translational applications.

Further information:  https://quadram.ac.uk/people/jan-claesen/

All staff from organisations on the Norwich Research Park are welcome to attend.