Diet-microbe-host interaction in early life

Host: Prof Tim Blower

About the speaker: Dr Christopher Stewart

Chris's work focusses on the microbiome in human health, including neonates and bowel disease. It should be of interest to researchers in microbiology and human health. L2 Microbiology, L3 Microbiota Workshop and some Lit Review students will likely find it appealing!

Chris is an early-career researcher who has recently won multiple prizes for his work, including the Lister Prize (2021) and the Fleming Prize (2022). It should be a great talk.

Abstract: 

Dr Christopher Stewart is a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Research Fellow and 2021 Lister Institute Prize Fellow at Newcastle University (UK). He gained PhD in Microbial Ecology at Northumbria University (UK), followed by postdoctoral training at Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, Texas). He has received numerous awards including the Microbiology Society Fleming Prize, Neonatal Society Rising Star, NOSTER & Science Microbiome Prize finalist, and the Applied Microbiology International WH Pierce Prize. His lab is focused on breastmilk bioactive components and microbial-host interaction in the gut of infants born premature (<32 weeks gestation), utilising multi-omic analysis of clinical samples in combination with basic microbiology and an experimental organoid co-culture system. He is also supporting a new UK-wide programme of work aimed at investigating how the gut microbiome predicts response to biological therapy in adult inflammatory bowel disease. His research has wide implications for better understanding diet-microbe-host interaction, with potential to develop novel disease biomarkers and targeted therapeutic interventions to promote health.

Contact timothy.blower@durham.ac.uk for more information about this event.