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SUMMARY:In vitro bioelectronic models of the gut-brain axis - Professor R
 óisín Owens\, Department of Chemical Engineering &amp\; Biotechnology
DTSTART:20211019T150000Z
DTEND:20211019T160000Z
UID:TALK162025@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Dervila Glynn
DESCRIPTION:*Theme: Brains and Machines*\n\nTile: _In vitro_ bioelectronic
  models of the gut-brain axis\n\nAbstract: The human gut microbiome has em
 erged as a key player in the bidirectional communication of the gut-brain 
 axis\, affecting various aspects of homeostasis and pathophysiology. Until
  recently\, the majority of studies that seek to explore the mechanisms un
 derlying the microbiome-gut-brain axis cross-talk relied almost exclusivel
 y on animal models\, and particularly gnotobiotic mice. Despite the great 
 progress made with these models\, various limitations\, including ethical 
 considerations and interspecies differences that limit the translatability
  of data to human systems\, pushed researchers to seek for alternatives. O
 ver the past decades\, the field of in vitro modelling of tissues has expe
 rienced tremendous growth\, thanks to advances in 3D cell biology\, materi
 als\, science and bioengineering\, pushing further the borders of our abil
 ity to more faithfully emulate the in vivo situation. Organ-on-chip techno
 logy and bioengineered tissues have emerged as highly promising alternativ
 es to animal models for a wide range of applications.  In this talk I’ll
  discuss our progress towards generating a complete platform of the human 
 microbiota-gut-brain axis with integrated monitoring and sensing capabilit
 ies. Bringing together principles of materials science\, tissue engineerin
 g\, 3D cell biology and bioelectronics\, we are building advanced models o
 f the GI and the BBB/NVU\, with real-time and label-free monitoring units 
 adapted in the model architecture\, towards a robust and more physiologica
 lly relevant human in vitro model\, aiming to i) elucidate the role of mic
 robiota in the gut-brain axis communication\, ii) to study how diet and im
 paired microbiota profiles affect various (patho-)physiologies\, and iii) 
 to test personalised medicine approaches for disease modelling and drug te
 sting.\n\nBiography: Professor Róisín M. Owens is a Multidisciplinary Sc
 ientist working at the interface of Biology and Electronic Engineering.\n\
 nProfessor Róisín M. Owens is a University Lecturer at the Department of
  Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in the University of Cambridge. Sh
 e received her BA in Natural Sciences (Mod. Biochemistry) at Trinity Colle
 ge Dublin\, and her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Southampt
 on University. She carried out two postdoc fellowships at Cornell Universi
 ty\, on host-pathogen interactions of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the de
 partment of Microbiology and Immunology with Prof David Russell\, and on r
 hinovirus therapeutics in the department of Biomedical Engineering with Pr
 ofessor Moonsoo Jin. From 2009-2017 Professor Owens was a group leader in 
 the department of bioelectronics at Ecole des Mines de St. Etienne\, on th
 e microelectronics campus in Provence. She is author of over 70 articles a
 nd a 2019 laureate of the Suffrage Science Award. Her work has been covere
 d on many news outlets\, including the BBC who featured her “human organ
 s on chip” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99s1K0Ph3g4.\n\nResearch Inte
 rests\nHer current research centres on application of electronic materials
  for monitoring biological systems in vitro\, with a specific interest in 
 studying the gut-brain-microbiome axis. Her work on 3D biomimetic electrod
 es for hosting and monitoring human tissues was recently published in Scie
 nce Advances. (https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/10/eaat4253) A se
 cond major research area focuses on integration of cell membranes with tra
 nsparent conducting polymer electrodes to study drug and pathogen interact
 ions. A recent publication validated the ability of novel antimicrobial mo
 lecules to penetrate membranes (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10
 .1002/adma.201803130)\n\nRegister in advance for this meeting: https://us0
 2web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUuc-ygrDkrEt0ZwuQeJ-0Yc9DPW9wBpBba\n\nAfte
 r registering\, you will receive a confirmation email containing informati
 on about joining the meeting.\n\n
LOCATION:Register on Zoom - link in abstract
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