Fall 2023 Invited Speaker
Autumn Ivy, MD-PhD (University of California, Irvine)
Seminar title: Neural Epigenetics of early life exercise reveal mechanistic targets in mouse models of cognitive dysfunction
Synopsis: Physical exercise is well known to have profound benefits to brain function, and specifically learning and memory. Neurotrophic factors (e.g. BDNF) and other mechanisms of neuroplasticity have been implicated as critical to exercise-induced memory improvements; however, these mechanisms have yet to be harnessed for the improvement of neurocognitive disorders. Furthermore, how physical exercise impacts the developmental trajectory of the juvenile brain is understudied. I will present our lab’s work in applying cutting edge tools in neural epigenetics to illuminate novel, exercise-induced epigenetic mechanisms that may act to facilitate long-term memory formation. These new mechanisms have broader implications for how we may harness exercise-based molecular targets and interventions to improve learning and memory in contexts of cognitive dysfunction, and will provide examples in a model of chronic early life stress exposure.
Date and Location: 1 November (4 PM), McCarthy Hall Rm 513
Spring 2024 Invited Speaker
Matthew Griffin, PhD (University of California, Irvine)
Seminar Title: Sweet talk at the host-microbiota interface
Synopsis: We contain trillions of bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses in our gastrointestinal tract known collectively as our gut microbiota. Rather than mere passengers, these microbes play crucial roles in human health such as the development and regulation of our immune system. Numerous studies over the past 20 years have also correlated specific microbial species with various disease states including multiple cancers. However, the exact microbial metabolites, enzymatic activities, and host pathways that underlie these correlations remain largely unknown. In this talk, I will describe our ongoing work on a crucial class of microbial glycopeptides that augment host immunity during cancer progression and treatment. Our efforts to understand and control the production of these bioactive sugars will reveal molecular principles of host-microbiota crosstalk that underlie proper immune function. Moreover, our findings may ultimately provide new precision-based strategies to predict drug efficacy and improve cancer patient outcomes via their gut.
Date and Location: 10 April (4 PM), McCarthy Hall Rm 513