Host-Microbiota Interactions: How Host Physiology and Disease Pathophysiology Are Affected by the Gut Microbiota

Event Details

Meeting Objectives

Advance our understanding of how host physiology and disease pathophysiology are affected by the gut microbiota; define research needs and opportunities for interrogating host-microbiota interactions and their role in modulating disease processes within NIDDK’s mission.

Meeting Format

Retreat-style format designed to (1) highlight the clinical perspective of how diseases are affected by the gut microbiota; (2) provide case studies for studying host-microbiota interactions in the context of inflammation and epithelial barrier function, nutrient metabolism and energy balance, and communication with distant organs; and (3) introduce novel frameworks for understanding the factors that regulate host-microbiota interactions and stasis. Sessions will have facilitated panel discussions to address the major scientific questions that will advance our understanding of host-microbiota interactions and how physiology and disease pathophysiology are affected by the gut microbiota.

Planning Committee

Eugene Chang, MD (University of Chicago)
Michael Fischbach, PhD (University of California San Francisco)
Marguerite Hatch, PhD (University of Florida)
Dan Littman, MD PhD (New York University)
Kristin Abraham, PhD (NIDDK, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases)
Michael J. Grey, PhD (NIDDK, Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition)
Chris Ketchum, PhD (NIDDK, Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases)
Rebekah Rasooly, PhD (NIDDK, Division of Kidney, Urologic, and Hematologic Diseases)

The Planning Group will develop a workshop summary to highlight the research needs and opportunities identified by workshop participants.

Agenda

September 9, 2014

8:00 a.m.

Welcome and Opening Remarks

The Gut Microbiota and the NIDDK Mission
Gregory Germino (Deputy Director, NIDDK)

Understanding How Host Physiology is affected by the Gut Microbiota
Stephen James (Director, Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, NIDDK)

Session 1: How Are Disease Processes Affected by the Gut Microbiota – A Clinical Perspective

State-of-the-art Talks – What is known about how disease onset, progression, or treatment is affected by the gut microbiota? What clinical considerations need to be taken into account when designing studies to understand the mechanisms by which disease pathophysiology is affected by the microbiota? What are the most pressing clinical aspects for research to understand how the host and diseases respond to the microbiota and microbial functions? Presentations will be 20 minutes followed by 5 min Q&A.

Moderator: Eugene Chang (University of Chicago)

8:30 a.m. – 8:50 a.m.

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Ramnik Xavier (Massachusetts General Hospital/Broad Institute)

8:50 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.

Type 1 Diabetes
Mark Atkinson (University of Florida)

9:10 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Obesity
Lee Kaplan (Massachusetts General Hospital)

9:30 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Primary Hyperoxaluria
John Lieske (Mayo Clinic)

9:50 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.

Diet and the Gut Microbiata
Diet and the Gut Microbiata

10:10 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Panel Discussion

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Break

Session 2: Interrogating Host-Microbial Interactions in Host Physiology and Disease Pathophysiology

Case Studies – targeted case studies illustrating recent examples and state-of-the-art approaches for interrogating host-microbial interactions in thematic areas. Presenters will integrate considerations for relevant clinical questions, host genetics, informatics advances, and assay platforms and models. The moderator will facilitate a panel discussion to address key scientific questions that will advance our understanding of how host physiology and disease pathophysiology are affected by the gut microbiota.

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

How are intestinal inflammation and epithelial barrier function modulated by the gut microbiota? (15 minutes per case study + 20 minutes for discussion)
Moderator: Dan Littman (New York University)

• Case Study 1: Microbiota, innate immunity, and inflammation
  Dan Littman (New York University)
• Case Study 2: Microbiota and Tregs
  Wendy Garrett (Harvard School of Public Health)
• Case Study 3: The impervious nature of the inner mucus layer is influenced by the luminal bacteria and the host immune system
  Gunnar C. Hansson (University of Gothenburg)
• Case Study 4: Tools and technologies for studying microbe-epithelial-immune interactions
  Thad Stappenbeck (Washington University St. Louis)
• Discussion

12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Panel Discussion

12:15 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Lunch

1:30 – 2:30 pm

How are nutrient metabolism, transport, and energy balance modulated by the gut microbiota? (15 minutes per case study + 20 minutes for discussion)
Moderator: Marguerite Hatch (University of Florida)

• Case Study 1: Understanding host-microbiata interplay: How can nutrimetabonomics help?
  Sandrine Claus (University of Pennsylvania)
• Case Study 2: Oxalate transport and metabolism
  Marguerite Hatch (University of Florida)
• Case Study 3: Microbial regulation of host lipid metabolism
  John Rawls (Duke University)
• Case Study 4: Microbiota-dependent metabolism of dietary components and CVD risk
  Aldons J. Lusis (UCLA)

2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Discussion

2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Poster Session

4:00 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.

How are microbe-dependent factors and host-microbe interactions in the gut communicated to affect host physiology and disease pathophysiology at distant organ sites? (15 minutes per case study + 20 minutes for discussion)
Moderator: Ron Kahn (Joslin Diabetes Center)

• Case Study 1: Microbiota, insulin signaling, obesity and diabetes
  Ron Kahn (Joslin Diabetes Center)
• Case Study 2: Microbiota, nuclear receptors, and metabolism
  Frank Gonzalez (National Cancer Institute, NIH)
• Case Study 3: Renal receptors for microbe-derived SCFAs and regulation of blood pressure
  Jennifer Pluznick (Johns Hopkins University)
• Case Study 4: Role of lymphatics in the transport of microbial-derived products
  Patrick Tso (University of Cincinnati)
• Case Study 5: Microbiata-brain communication via short-chain fatty acids and intestinal gluconeogenesis.
  Gilles Mithieux (INSERM)

5:15 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Discussion

5:30 p.m.

Wrap-up and Adjourn Day 1

September 10, 2014

8:45 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Recap Day 1 and Introduction to Day 2

Session 3: Novel Frameworks for Understanding and Modulating Host-Microbiota Dynamics

Concept Talks – What concepts regarding host-microbiota interactions should the community consider as we think about research to understand how host physiology and disease pathophysiology are affected by the gut microbiota? Do these concepts offer a framework for interrogating host-microbial interactions in complex systems? How can they be applied to research questions for understanding how to manipulate host-microbiota interactions to modulate host physiology or disease pathophysiology?

Moderator: Michael Fischbach (University of California San Francisco)

9:00 a.m. – 9:25 a.m.

Our microbial organ and its role in regulating host metabolism
Eugene Chang (University of Chicago)

9:25 a.m. – 9:50 a.m.

Exploring the human virome and the role of virus-bacteria-host interactions in physiology and disease pathophysiology
Frederic Bushman (University of Pennsylvania)

9:50 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

Metabolomic technologies to discover mediators of host-microbiota interaction
Charles F. Burant (University of Michigan)

10:15 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

Break

10:45 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

Small molecules from the human microbiota
Michael Fischbach (University of California San Francisco)

11:15 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.

Synthetic biology and bacterial engineering to interrogate host-microbiota interactions
Christopher Voigt (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

11:40 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

From stool transplants to next-generation microbiota therapeutics
Alex Khoruts (University of Minnesota)

Session 4: Future Directions and Opportunities for Research to Understand How Host Physiology and Disease Pathophysiology Are Affected by the Gut Microbiota

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Panel Discussion
Eugene Chang, Michael Fischbach, Marguerite Hatch, and Dan Littman

1:30 p.m.

Closing Remarks and Adjourn