The microbiome

How this invisible world influences our health

Inside and outside our bodies live an enormous variety of microorganisms, collectively known as the microbiome. It includes bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microbes. They play an important role in digestion, the development of the immune system and our health in general. In recent years, the gut microbiome in particular has been linked to many diseases, from diabetes and autism to cancer and neurodegeneration.

In his lecture, Prof. Paul Wilmes will provide an overview of the human microbiome and its role, and how it is being studied at the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine at the University of Luxembourg. He will explain the influence that the microbiome can have on health and disease and present examples from current research studies, such as how the type of birth influences the development of the microbiome in infants and how the combination of microbes and diet can influence the development of colon cancer and Parkinson's disease. He will further explain what the microbiome can tell us about the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and how we can influence the microbiome to stay healthy.

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19:00 - Lecture followed by Q&A session

20:00 - Reception