ON-DEMAND WEBINAR
Microbiome–Metabolome Dynamics Associated with Impaired Glucose Control and Responses to Lifestyle Changes
Our guts are populated by trillions of bacteria that can affect host physiology. Metabolomics is an excellent tool for understanding gene-environment interactions in order to understand disease mechanisms with the intention of improving disease management and therapeutic options. Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a heterogenous disease that is shaped by genetic and environmental factors, including the gut microbiome. This webinar will seek to discuss new research aimed at developing a more mechanistic understanding of the microbial drivers of disease.
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex disease shaped by genetic and environmental factors, including the gut microbiome. Recent research revealed pathophysiological heterogeneity and distinct subgroups in both T2D and prediabetes, prompting exploration of personalized risk factors.
The gut microbiota contains orders of magnitude more genes than we contain in our own genomes. We have identified over 500 blood metabolites associated with impaired glucose control, with approximately one-third linked to an altered gut microbiome. Our findings identified metabolic disruptions in microbiome–metabolome dynamics as potential mediators of compromised glucose homeostasis. Furthermore, we have identified one such metabolite, imidazole propionate, that is produced from histidine by the gut microbiota. Levels of imidazole propionate are elevated in type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, supplementation of the metabolite to cells and mice induce disease, demonstrating potential causality. Further work may identify novel treatment modalities based on the gut microbiota to target cardiometabolic diseases.
In This Webinar You Will Learn:
- How metabolomics can be leveraged for multiomic predictive modelling in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)
- How machine-learning algorithms may be used to identify determinants of plasma metabolites, link them to disease severity, uncover microbial drivers, and reveal lifestyle-specific modulation
- How the gut microbiota may affect host physiology through metabolites
- How the microbiome may be modifiable treatment modality for cardiometabolic diseases
About Metabolomics
Integrating metabolomics data with metagenomics provides a comprehensive understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying health and disease by linking genetic variation to metabolic phenotypes. Metabolomics enhances other metagenomic data by identifying the functional consequences of genetic variants, offering direct insight into biochemical activity that genomics alone cannot provide. This integration improves biomarker discovery, reveals novel therapeutic targets, and supports more precise and personalized approaches to medicine by uncovering gene-environment interactions that shape individual metabolic responses.
Author Publications List:
To full list of publications: ORCID: 0000-0002-4871-8818
Program
Guest Speakers
Fredrik Bäckhed, Ph.D.
Professor of Molecular Medicine, Department of Molecular and Clinical Medicine at the University of Gothenburg and the Technical University of Denmark
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Professor Fredrik Bäckhed combines clinical studies with advanced gnotobiotic mouse models to uncover how the gut microbiota contributes to metabolic diseases. Professor Bäckhed earned his PhD at Karolinska Institutet and completed his postdoctoral training with Jeffrey Gordon at Washington University in St. Louis, where he helped establish the gut microbiota as a key regulator of obesity. Since 2006, he has been a professor at the University of Gothenburg, and also holds a professorship at the Technical University of Denmark.
With over 200 publications in top-tier journals such as Nature, Cell, and Science, he has been recognized among the world's most cited researchers in microbiology and genetics. His many honors include the prestigious Minkowski Prize, ERC consolidator and advanced grants as well as the gold medal from the Royal Academy of engineering. He has been elected to both the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the American Academy of Microbiology.
Alessandro Busetti, Ph.D.
Field Metabolomics Scientist at Metabolon
Dr. Busetti is one of Metabolon’s most experienced Field Metabolomics Scientists and supports client projects across Europe and Asia. Alessandro obtained his bachelor's degree in biology and his master’s degree in molecular biology at the University of Rome, La Sapienza. He obtained his Ph.D. in pharmaceutical microbiology at The Queen’s University, Belfast (QUB).
Dr. Busetti spent 10 years conducting research in academia, both as a Research Fellow at QUB and as a Research Associate at the University of Glasgow. His research focused on the discovery of marine-derived bioactives for biomedical applications and understanding the role of microbiomes in regulating host health.
In 2016, he transitioned into the industry and joined 4D Pharma PLC, where he worked as the Senior Team Leader of the “Discovery-Micro” Department. There, he defined and implemented screening strategies to identify candidate LBP strains for a number of disease areas ranging from autoimmune diseases, solid tumors, neurodegenerative diseases, and more.
Dr. Busetti is a true scientific chameleon with a broad knowledge of many research areas of focus, but his main passion remains host-microbe interactions, microbiome studies, and “socio-microbiology.” He is based in Verona, Italy, where he lives with his wife and daughter.
