BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Memento EPFL// BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:ChemBio seminar by Prof. Emily Balskus - CH-635 DTSTART:20221209T161500 DTEND:20221209T173000 DTSTAMP:20260314T214841Z UID:b212e116f8263024a59c900cb9c17ecfacdf8a69428d8edff9098dc0 CATEGORIES:Conferences - Seminars DESCRIPTION:Prof. Emily Balskus\nTitle: Deciphering the human microbiome w ith chemistry\n\nAbstract:\nThe human body is colonized by trillions of mi croorganisms that exert a profound influence on human biology\, in part by providing functional capabilities that extend beyond those of host cells. In particular\, there is growing evidence linking chemical processes carr ied out by the human gut microbiome to diseases such as colorectal cancer. However\, we still do not understand the vast majority of the molecular m echanisms underlying this phenomenon. Major obstacles faced in surmounting this knowledge gap include the difficulty linking functions associated wi th the human gut microbiota to specific microbial enzymes and the challeng e of controlling these activities in complex microbial communities. This t alk will discuss my lab’s efforts to characterize gut microbial metaboli c activities that are linked to colorectal cancer\, including a gut microb ial genotoxin called colibactin. Gaining a molecular understanding of canc er-associated gut microbial activities will not only help to elucidate the mechanisms by which these organisms contribute to carcinogenesis but shou ld also enable efforts to treat and prevent disease by manipulating this m icrobial community.\n\nSpeaker's biography:\nEmily is originally from Cinc innati\, Ohio\, where she first became interested in chemistry as a high s chool student. She graduated from Williams College in 2002 as valedictoria n with highest honors in chemistry. After spending a year at the Universit y of Cambridge as a Churchill Scholar in the lab of Prof. Steven Ley\, she pursued graduate studies in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biol ogy (CCB) at Harvard University\, receiving her PhD in 2008. Her graduate work with Prof. Eric Jacobsen focused on the development of asymmetric cat alytic transformations and their application in the total synthesis of com plex molecules. From 2008–2011 she was an NIH postdoctoral fellow at Har vard Medical School in the lab of Prof. Christopher T. Walsh. Her research in the Walsh lab involved elucidating and characterizing biosynthetic pat hways for the production of small molecule sunscreens by photosynthetic ba cteria. She also received training in microbial ecology and environmental microbiology as a member of the Microbial Diversity Summer Course at the M arine Biology Lab at Woods Hole during the summer of 2009.\nEmily joined t he CCB faculty in 2011 and is currently a Professor of Chemistry and Chemi cal Biology. She is also an Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Har vard and MIT\, a Faculty Associate of the Microbial Sciences Initiative at Harvard\, a member of the Harvard Digestive Diseases Center\, and a membe r of the MIT Center for Microbiome Informatics and Therapeutics. Her indep endent research has been recognized with multiple awards\, including the 2 011 Smith Family Award for Excellence in Biomedical Research\, the 2012 NI H Director’s New Innovator Award\, and the 2013 Packard Fellowship for S cience and Engineering. She was selected as one of MIT Technology Review ’s 35 Innovators Under 35 in 2014 and in 2016 was named an HHMI-Gates Fa culty Scholar.\n\nLab website: https://www.microbialchemist.com/ LOCATION:CM 1 5 https://plan.epfl.ch/?room==CM%201%205 STATUS:CONFIRMED END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR