MSE seminar this Friday: “Don’t Stop Believin’: Managing student motivation on the journey from descriptive to mechanism.”

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Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.

After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.

Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.

Click here to register here for one or all speakers for free!


“Don’t Stop Believin’: Managing student motivation on the journey from descriptive to mechanism”

Dr. Sonny Lee, PhD

Mar 29, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Dr. Sonny Lee is a blue rainjacket standing in front of a forested river on a cloudy day.

Dr. Sonny Lee, PhD., Assistant Professor at Kansas State University, is an integrative microbiologist, with his work grounded in the field of microbiology, ecology and molecular biology with application to promote pro-health in human host, agricultural and the environment. His research relies heavily on bioinformatics, microbiological and molecular techniques to elucidate the mechanism of microbial populations in the contribution to the well-being of the host. His lab investigates the diversity and mechanism of the microbial population by looking at the microbiome as a whole holobiont, while using a reductionist approach in elucidating the role microbial populations play in maintaining the homeostasis of the microbiome.

His lab website is here.

West Coast “speaking tour” in March

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I was invited to give three talks on the west coast in March, which aligned so well I was able to string them together into a mini “speaking tour”. I was looking forward to seeing work-related and non-work-related friends, and using a few of the days to visit more of the incredible ecosystems.

Grove of the Titans in the Redwood National Forest.

I presented three versions of a talk called “Place and time matter for gut microbes making anti-inflammatories from broccoli sprouts”, to tailor it to the audiences and time slots at each location. The talk incorporated various amounts of the #BroccoliProject and work with the Microbes and Social Equity working group.

March 5: Oregon State University, Department of Microbiology seminar series in Corvalis, Oregon

March 12: 2024 Center for Mcrobiome Innovation’s International Microbiome Meeting (CIMM) in La Jolla, California

Photo by Kat Gilbert of the attendees on Day 1

Lola Holcomb and Tolu Alaba, both PhD candidates working on broccoli sprouts and gut microbes, presented posters at CIMM. This conference features microbiome research in the contexts of health, agriculture, and environments.

Jotham Suez and I found time to check out the cherry blossoms at the Japanese Friendship Garden.
The view from La Jolla cliffs.
Tolu Alaba with her poster on metabolomics and new baby!
Lola Holcomb presented her work on broccoli sprouts and Crohn’s Disease models.
A sunset in La Jolla.

March 15: Institute for Systems Biology invited seminar in Seattle, Washington

I presented my research and my work on the Microbes and Social Equity working group to students, faculty, and the DEI committee.

The views of Puget Sound are beautiful.
I visited the incredible Chihuly Glass Museum.
Sean Gibbons and I went to the opening night of One Thousand Pieces.
There are glass sculptures in the garden near the base of the side needle.

Ayodeji defends his master’s thesis!

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Ayodeji Olaniyi defended his Master’s of Animal Science thesis today!! His project focused on cultures of bacteria that were isolated from the biofilms in scallop larvae hatchery tanks, to understand how they might be impacting larvae or microbial community dynamics in the tank. This was part of a series of studies and a larger collaboration on scallop health in Maine. He has previously presented at the 2024 NACE/MAS aquaculture conference for which he won a travel award from the UMaine Aquaculture research Insitute, and the 2023 UMaine Student Research Symposium where he won an award for his poster. He joined my lab in early 2022 to increase his technical research skills, and has been investigating the bacteria isolated from biofilms associated with different scallop hatchery tank systems.

He is originally from Nigeria, where he studied animal science and gathered a lot of practical experience in animal production and proper farm maintenance. He obtained a Bachelor of Science from Federal University of Agriculture in Abeokuta, Nigeria, and worked as a veterinary assistant and as a technical advisor at AlphaSage services, in Ibadan, Nigeria.

He has already begun the next phase of his career, as he started working as a research technician at a health lab in Indiana, where he has been combining his microbiology and animal health skills with molecular genetics, and adding to the list of animal systems he has worked with. And, his thirst for knowledge is still growing – we can’t wait to see where his passion for research takes him!

MSE seminar today: “Precision Microbiome for Health.”

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Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.

After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.

Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.

Click here to register here for one or all speakers for free!

“Precision Microbiome for Health”

Dr. Jack A. Gilbert, PhD.

Feb 23, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Professor Jack A Gilbert earned his Ph.D. from Unilever and Nottingham University, UK in 2002, and received his postdoctoral training at Queens University, Canada. From 2005-2010 he was a senior scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK; and from 2010-2018 he was Group Leader for Microbial Ecology at Argonne National Laboratory, a Professor of Surgery, and Director of The Microbiome Center at University of Chicago. In 2019 he moved to University of California San Diego, where he is a Professor in Pediatrics and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Associate Vice Chancellor for Marine Science, and Director of both the Microbiome and Metagenomics Center and the Microbiome Core Facility. Dr. Gilbert uses molecular analysis to test fundamental hypotheses in microbial ecology.

He cofounded the Earth Microbiome Project and American Gut Project. He has authored more than 450 peer reviewed publications and book chapters on microbial ecology. He is the founding Editor in Chief of mSystems journal. In 2014 he was recognized on Crain’s Business Chicago’s 40 Under 40 List, and in 2015 he was listed as one of the 50 most influential scientists by Business Insider, and in the Brilliant Ten by Popular Scientist. In 2016 he won the Altemeier Prize from the Surgical Infection Society, and the WH Pierce Prize from the Society for Applied Microbiology for research excellence. In 2017 he co-authored “Dirt is Good”, a popular science guide to the microbiome and children’s health. In 2018, he founded BiomeSense Inc to produce automated microbiome sensors. In 2021 Dr Gilbert became the UCSD PI for the National institutes of Health’s $175M Nutrition for Precision Medicine program. In 2023 he became President of Applied Microbiology International, and won the 2023 IFF Microbiome Science Prize.

His lab website is here.

MSE seminar this Friday: “Precision Microbiome for Health.”

sueishaqlabLeave a comment

Events will be hosted January – December, 2024, on the last Friday of every month, 12:00 – 14:00 pm ET. Presented over Zoom.

After each talk, we will continue the discussions in an informal social meeting with MSE. All speakers and members of the audience are welcome to join the social meeting.

Hosted by: Sue Ishaq, MSE, and finacially supported by the University of Maine Institute of Medicine and the UMaine Cultural Affairs/Distinguished Lecture Committee.

Click here to register here for one or all speakers for free!

“Precision Microbiome for Health”

Dr. Jack A. Gilbert, PhD.

Feb 23, 2024 12:00 PM Eastern Time. This event has passed, watch the recording here.

Professor Jack A Gilbert earned his Ph.D. from Unilever and Nottingham University, UK in 2002, and received his postdoctoral training at Queens University, Canada. From 2005-2010 he was a senior scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK; and from 2010-2018 he was Group Leader for Microbial Ecology at Argonne National Laboratory, a Professor of Surgery, and Director of The Microbiome Center at University of Chicago. In 2019 he moved to University of California San Diego, where he is a Professor in Pediatrics and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Associate Vice Chancellor for Marine Science, and Director of both the Microbiome and Metagenomics Center and the Microbiome Core Facility. Dr. Gilbert uses molecular analysis to test fundamental hypotheses in microbial ecology.

He cofounded the Earth Microbiome Project and American Gut Project. He has authored more than 450 peer reviewed publications and book chapters on microbial ecology. He is the founding Editor in Chief of mSystems journal. In 2014 he was recognized on Crain’s Business Chicago’s 40 Under 40 List, and in 2015 he was listed as one of the 50 most influential scientists by Business Insider, and in the Brilliant Ten by Popular Scientist. In 2016 he won the Altemeier Prize from the Surgical Infection Society, and the WH Pierce Prize from the Society for Applied Microbiology for research excellence. In 2017 he co-authored “Dirt is Good”, a popular science guide to the microbiome and children’s health. In 2018, he founded BiomeSense Inc to produce automated microbiome sensors. In 2021 Dr Gilbert became the UCSD PI for the National institutes of Health’s $175M Nutrition for Precision Medicine program. In 2023 he became President of Applied Microbiology International, and won the 2023 IFF Microbiome Science Prize.

His lab website is here.

Presentation today on Microbes and Social Equity to the University of New Hampshire!

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Today I’ll be visiting the University of New Hampshire to present my work on diet and gut microbes, and the creation of the Microbes and Social Equity working group, and engage in discussions with faculty and students. If you’ll be on campus, come say hello and eat pizza!

Ashley passes the Registered Dietician exam!

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Ashley Reynolds passed the exam last week to become a Registered Dietician!! She has been working towards a research career that combines health, nutriton, and now: microbes! Ashley been a PhD student with Yanyan Li and I since September 2023 working on #TeamBroccoli, and being the participant manager for the diet trial we are conductng. Prior to joining as a PhD student, she completed several degrees and training programs in nutrition:

Headshot of Ashley Reynolds weiring a beige sweater.

Ashley Reynolds, M.S., R.D.

Doctor of Philosophy student, Human Nutrition and Food Sciences. Ashley is being co-advisor by Dr. Yanyan Li.  

Ashley began her academic journey at the University of Maine completing her undergraduate degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition in 2021 as a Maine Top Scholar. Ashley then pursued a Master’s degree in Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Maine. Ashley’s master’s degree research focused on exploring intuitive eating in college students. This research aimed to understand and promote a healthy relationship with food among this demographic. She also took on the role of a teaching assistant for several nutrition classes while completing that degree. In 2023, Ashley successfully completed a dietetic internship and shortly after passed her RD exam to become a registered dietitian. Currently, Ashley is back at the University of Maine, pursuing her Ph.D. in Food Science and Human Nutrition. She is incredibly interested in nutrition therapy and is beginning her research looking into the microbiome and metabolomic pathways in the context of IBD. The current research uses both human and mouse data to determine the effects broccoli sprouts has in individuals with IBD.

Featured on the Microbial Matters podcast!!

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I was interviewed by Dr. Mark Martin for the Microbial Matters podcast! Mark is a renowned microbiologist who has long has a presence online making science accessbile to everyone. The show features exciting and fun conversations with researchers about their work on tiny organisms with a global impact.

I’ve linked to the Youtube video version below, but you can download the video/audio for my episode, link to podcast services, and find the show notes by clicking here.

Upcoming presentation at the CMI International Microbiome Meeting in March!

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I’ll be presenting some collaborative work on broccoli sprouts and the gut microbiome:

March 12: 2024 Center for Mcrobiome Innovation’s International Microbiome Meeting (CIMM) in La Jolla, California

Lola Holcomb and Tolu Alaba, both PhD candidates working on broccoli sprouts and gut microbes, will be presenting posters at CIMM. This conference features microbiome research in the contexts of health, agriculture, and environments.

Alexis awarded research funds from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation!!

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Alexis Kirkendall began her PhD with research funds awarded in her very first month!! Over the fall, she drafted a proposal to evaluate the probitoic potential of bacteria the we previously isolated from a broccoli sprout diet study. The funds were awarded from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation, and will help launch the research for Alexis’ dissertation!!

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    Alexis Kirkendall processing microscope slides.
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    Alexis Kirkendall, Jaymie Sideaway, Aakriti Sharma, Johanna Holman, and Lilian Nowak.
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    Logo designed by Johanna Holman.
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    Alexis Kirkendall processing microscope slides.

Effect of probiotic candidates on intestinal epithelium barrier function.

Summary

Broccoli sprouts contain precursors to anti-inflammatories which increase beneficial gut bacteria and reduce pathogens, and confer protective effects against colitis. Gut microbiota are critical to converting the precursor to the anti-inflammatory sulforaphane to sites of intestinal inflammation. We are currently investigating hundreds of bacterial isolates for their capacity to produce sulforaphane using gut microbiota samples from different parts of the intestines in broccoli sprout-fed mice. We are benchmarking these 806 isolates against standard strains with GSLs-metabolism. We hypothesize that previous broccoli sprout entrainment of bacteria can improve their capacity for GLR metabolism in the new hosts. Our immediate goal is to test the capacity of these isolates to produce SFN and reduce inflammation, and our long-term goal is to develop a dietary preparation of broccoli sprouts and a probiotic which have therapeutic effects against IBD in humans. 

Relevance to IBD

Broccoli sprouts contain plant secondary compounds, especially glucoraphanin, which is transformed into sulforaphane, an anti-inflammatory, by gut-microbiota-sourced enzymes. High fiber diets may reduce inflammation and cancer risk, and improve quality of life for colitis patients. Our research investigates a prevention/management approach which has the potential to restore host-microbial homeostasis, but also is more affordable and accessible than a dietary supplement or medical treatment. We found that certain gut microbiota metabolizing broccoli sprout glucoraphanin to anti-inflammatories such as sulforaphane, and that a broccoli sprout-supplemented diet results in sulforaphane accumulation systemically and in gut tissues, reduced inflammatory cytokines, and beneficial changes to gut microbiota. We found that these interactions between gut microbiota and broccoli sprouts reduce susceptibility of mice to chemically induced colitis and immunologically associated enterocolitis.