Prof. Eugene B. CHANG, Martin Boyer Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Director of the Microbiome Medicine Program at The University of Chicago, USA, delivered the 15th PAIR Distinguished Lecture, titled “What is a healthy gut microbiome and why is it important to know?” on 18 March 2024. The hybrid lecture attracted over 200 participants joining in person and online from more than 20 countries and regions across Australia, Asia, Europe and North America. It was also broadcast live on multiple social media platforms, drawing an online viewing audience of over 10,900.
In his presentation, Prof. Chang first provided some fun facts about the human gut microbiome, emphasising that it is one of the vital organs of the body. Next, he explained what constitutes a healthy gut microbiome and how to keep it that way. According to Prof. Chang, it is relatively easy to determine the health of most vital organs through various tests, but this is not the case with the gut microbiome. He described the limitations of the traditional 16S rDNA and metagenomics as metrics for assessing gut microbiota health, and outlined the criteria for more fully assessing the health of the gut microbiome. He then introduced the modified targeted mass spectrometry method, which combines 20 markers of gut microbial functions into a single score. The technique enables an understanding of the quantitative functional profiles of gut microbiome health and can be applied in clinical settings to help patients restore the health of their gut microbiome. Prof. Chang further explained the use of the assessment method to maintain the health of the gut microbiome, treat patients with dysbiosis, and predict the clinical outcomes of therapies. To conclude, Prof. Chang shared his team’s intentions to collaborate with research institutes including the Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood).
