2025 Microbiome Conference Agenda

7:30 AM

Mollie Roth, JD, Chairperson, The Annual Translational Microbiome Conference

The Gut-Immune-Brain (BIG) axis is a crucial network that shapes cognitive health, emotional resilience, and immune function. By leveraging advanced deep learning models, our team aims to map and modulate this axis, revealing novel opportunities to extend healthspan and mitigate age-related diseases. This presentation introduces the concept of longevity algorithms—integrated systems combining personalized medicine, nutraceuticals, and real-time data. Unlike traditional single-molecule approaches, these algorithms offer adaptive treatments designed to enhance pharmaceutical interventions and optimize health outcomes on an individual level. To fuel these algorithms, comprehensive datasets are essential. The BIG Shift study is designed to collect extensive real-world data to create the world’s largest longitudinal interventional longevity dataset. The study aims to open-source its findings to the global scientific community, continuously refining AI models to deliver increasingly precise and personalized health interventions. Collaborating with leading experts, universities, and clinics worldwide, the BIG Shift study is establishing the foundation for an evolving ecosystem of health optimization. This initiative lays the groundwork for future interventions that empower individuals and industries to take control of their health and longevity.
Bruno Balen, Founder, Anibiome

9:00 AM

New approaches are needed to improve immunotherapies with minimal immune-related adverse events. Here, we present new biomaterial-based strategies for altering the gut microbiome and improving the safety and efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. We are developing new inulin-based gel for in situ modulation of the gut microbiome for augmenting local and systemic immune responses. Oral administration of inulin-gel in tumor-bearing mice in combination with anti-PD-1 immune checkpoint blockade led to robust anti-tumor efficacy while mitigating immune-related adverse events. Modulation of the gut microbiome with inulin-gel may offer powerful and convenient approaches to regulate the immune system as potential therapies for cancer and other diseases.
James Moon, Ph.D. , John Gideon Searle Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Michigan Medical School

9:30 AM

Dr. Cheng will present recent advances to Kanvas' proprietary spatial biology platform. He will highlight some examples of its utility in microbiome research and explain how it was instrumental in developing a complex microbial consortium as a treatment for the potentiation of immune checkpoint-inhibitor therapy.
Matt Cheng, MD, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Kanvas Bio

10:00 AM

The presentation will describe how we established a platform to screen and identify microbial species and small molecules in the intestinal microbiome, which could help maintain homeostasis, enhance the repair of the inflamed intestine, or prevent infection.
M. Ashfaqul Alam, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, University of Kentucky College of Medicine

10:30 AM

11:00 AM

We will discuss the interplay of the microbiome with congenital heart disease and how the intestinal milieu may be altered in these patients. We will identify some of the inflammatory signaling after cardiac surgery and how these are linked with changes in the gut and the gut barrier. We will close with ongoing studies and future directions to elucidate mechanistic links to improve post-operative inflammation and recovery.
Jeffrey Salomon, MD, MBA, Associate Professor, Division of Critical Care, Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology, University of Nebraska College of Medicine

11:30 AM

Vaginitis affects up to 30% of women globally and is a leading cause of gynecological visits, with vaginal odor being the most frequently reported and distressing symptom. Despite its prevalence, the microbial and biochemical mechanisms driving odor remain poorly understood, limiting therapeutic advances. Our latest research analyzed patient-reported data and shotgun metagenomic sequencing from 6,585 non-menopausal individuals, identifying seven bacterial taxa linked to odor severity. We also uncovered a significant association between the putrescine pathway and severe odor cases. These findings pave the way for translating metagenomic insights into clinical tools for precision diagnostics and targeted treatments in vaginal health.

David Lyttle, Ph.D., Senior Bioinformatics Scientist, Evvy

1:00 PM

Gut microbial gas production contributes to the pathophysiology of IBS, but current assessment methods like breath testing, while valuable for diagnosing specific intolerances, cannot capture the day-to-day symptoms of IBS. We developed the Smart Underwear, a novel wearable device that enables long-term, continuous monitoring of gut microbial gas production through real-time detection of hydrogen in flatus during daily activities.   Validation demonstrated that Smart Underwear successfully detects flatus with high signal-to-noise ratio and accurately tracks device wearing. In the GUMDROP study, the Smart Underwear detected increased microbial activity following inulin consumption in 94.7% of participants.   The Smart Underwear offers a new approach to objectively measure real-time hydrogen production in IBS patients, enabling direct observation of symptom patterns. This technology could enhance the evaluation of dietary and therapeutic interventions by providing continuous, objective measurements rather than relying solely on subjective patient reports.
Brantley Hall, Ph.D. , Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology & Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland

1:30 PM

Kris Locken, Research & Development, Zymo Research

2:00 PM

Xochitl (Zochi) Morgan, Ph.D. , Director, Harvard Chan Microbiome Analysis Center, Harvard Chan Microbiome in Public Health Center, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

2:30 PM

Kevin Honaker, MBA , Chief Executive Officer, BiomeSense

3:30 PM

Christian Furlan Freguia, Ph.D. , Sr. Vice President of Research, Rise Therapeutics

4:00 PM

Virtually all approved antibiotics kill commensal bacteria in the gut microbiome, leading to a host of deleterious effects. To develop antibiotics effective against pathogenic bacteria, but that spare commensal bacteria, we have been leveraging the evolutionary divergence of certain biological targets. This presentation will describe this process, leading to the discovery of novel antibiotics for Gram-negative pathogens that do not induce gut dysbiosis. Such antibiotics are being developed as a safer means to treat infections, and can also be envisioned as agents to bring the gut microbiome back into balance.

Paul Hergenrother, Ph.D. , Kenneth L. Rinehart Endowed Chair in Natural Products Chemistry Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois

4:30 PM