BioFrontiers Presents: "How Microbes Could Fight Childhood Diabetes"

About This Event

BioFrontiers Presents is a free public talk series sponsored by the CU Boulder BioFrontiers Institute. Our mission is to engage with our community through public talks for public good. Professor Jennifer Hill will deliver the October talk: We evolved in a microbial world. As a result, resident microbial communities (collectively referred to as the microbiota) are dynamic and integral components of our health. Even in early life, the microbiota can have outsized impacts for long-term health, from the gut to the brain. However, a large percentage of microbial genomes are unexplored, leading to the label “microbial dark matter.” By mining this underappreciated biological source, we have uncovered a network of microbial cues that mammals detect to tune the development of insulin-producing beta-cell cells. We identified specific microbes that can promote beta-cell development in the infant pancreas. We hope to develop novel approaches to prevent or reverse diabetes, a disease characterized by beta-cell loss. Come learn how your body’s microbial residents influence your health! Talk + Q&A for the first hour, then a free reception to facilitate informal discussion.