Functional Role of Microbiome in Obesity

Event Details

Background

Obesity is a multifactorial condition, affected by altered energy balance resulting in increased adiposity. It has been shown to be highly influenced by genetics and lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity, and, as more recently documented, by environmental factors, such as gut microbiota. Recent evidence suggests that gut microbiome composition can predict body composition (lean and obese) with 90 percent accuracy, compared to 60 percent accuracy with genetic composition, and the microbiome plays an important role in the outcomes associated with weight loss interventions. However, the functional relevance of microbial dysbiosis to the pathophysiology of obesity, or the exact nature of microbial changes associated with weight loss interventions and their relevance to obesity reduction, needs to be clearly established. Finally, the potential of microbiome-targeted therapies for obesity treatment still needs to be explored.

In order to deliberate the current evidence on the functional association between the microbiome and energy balance, to further explore microbial-targeted strategies for treating obesity, and to identify the research gaps and opportunities in the field, a focused workshop has been organized to engage microbiome and obesity experts in an interactive discussion. Invited experts will develop a set of relevant questions and research ideas for each topic that will serve as guidance for the discussions that will follow each brief presentation. Proceedings of the workshop will be published in a scientific journal.

Planning Team

Padma Maruvada, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) Andrew Bremer, NIDDK
Robert Karp, NIDDK
Peter Perrin, NIDDK
Philip Smith, NIDDK
Susan Yanovski, NIDDK
Phillip Daschner, National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Sharon Ross, NCI
Cindy Davis, Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS)
Pothur Srinivas, National Heart, Blood, and Lung Institute (NHLBI)

Chairs

Drs. Lee M. Kaplan and Eugene B. Chang

Registration Deadline

December 1, 2015

Agenda

December 14, 2015

8:00 a.m. – 8:10 a.m.

Welcome Remarks
NIH leadership

8:10 a.m. – 8:20 a.m.

Charges to the Workshop Participants

8:20 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Overview of the Workshop
Lee Kaplan and Eugene Chang (Chairs)

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Microbiome and Energy Balance
Moderator: Eric Ravussin
Lee Kaplan, Eugene Chang, Hans-Rudy Berthoud

10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Break

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Dietary Modifications and the Microbiome
Moderator: Gary Wu
Chris Gardner, Jens Walter, Michael Jensen

12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Lunch Break

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Interplay of Inflammation, Metabolism, and the Microbiome
Moderator: Andrew Gewirtz
Ruth Ley, Fergus Shanahan, Vishwa Deep Dixit

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Break

3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Developmental Origins of Obesity and the Role of the Microbiome
Moderator: Matthew Gillman
Marty Blaser, Brett Finlay, Kjersti Aagaard

December 15, 2015

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Limitations of Models and the Promise of Tools
Moderator: Karen Nelson
John Rawls, Rustem Ismagilov, Vincent Young, Rob Knight

9:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Break

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Microbiome-Targeted Therapies for Obesity
Moderator: Samuel Klein
Justin Sonnenburg, Max Nieuwdorp, Alexander Khoruts

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Future Directions
Lee Kaplan, Eugene Chang, and others