Join us for a conversation with Sandra B. Andersen, Associate Professor in the Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics at the University of Copenhagen, and Camille Simonet, PhD Student in Biological Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. Microbes have complex social lives, where they can cooperate, cheat and compete within and between species. When these dynamics play out inside our bodies they may affect our health. We will present two approaches to how we can use large sequencing datasets of microbes associated with humans to infer how the organisms interact. This will set the scene for a discussion on the potential for manipulating microbial interactions to benefit human health.
Andersen will present her work on the role of microbial interactions during long-term infection, working with whole genome sequencing of isolates of opportunistic pathogens from individuals with cystic fibrosis. Can targeting cooperative traits provide therapies to complement traditional antibiotics? Simonet will then present her work using metagenomics sequencing data for sociomicrobiological research questions. She developed a method to quantify relatedness, which may be a unifying variable upon which to act to explain and (manipulate) microbial behavior. Sign up here for the meeting link.