In the company of each other and against the backdrop of Becoming Plant, Grace Ndiritu will highlight the ethos sufficing her practice to compose a reflective space through a shared meditative dialogue that reveals the urgent effects of the Capitalocene, and the transformative power of healing and collectivity. Ndiritu will show film clips and invite audience questions.
 
This event is presented as part of the CHEAD Annual Conference 2024 with support from the DJCAD Centenary Trust, and hosted by Sophia Yadong Hao and Sarah Perks, co-curators of The Scale of Things.
 

Booking

Free tickets available via Eventbrite
All welcome

Schedule

4pm Doors open
4.15pm Event starts
5.30pm Event ends and exhibition viewing
6.30pm Gallery closes

Host: Prof Nicola Stanley-Wall 

Venue: Online only 

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Abstract 

The important role of the gut microbiome in health is becoming increasingly apparent. However, disentangling cause and effect in this microbial community and revealing how it drives health outcomes remain some of the largest unsolved challenges in microbiology and medicine. There is a pressing need to know more about the fundamental biology of microbiome species if we are going to meet this challenge. Yet, we lack this information for the vast majority of community members. My background in systems biology and microbial genetics has put me in a unique position to tackle this problem. I’ve leveraged my expertise to develop a generalized systems biology toolkit with the potential to transform the way we study the microbiome and its influence on us. 

I’ve focused on two microbiome members, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (B. theta) and Bifidobacterium breve (B. breve), to prototype a systems-level approach and demonstrate its effectiveness. First, I’ve lowered the barrier of genetic intractability that is common in the microbiome by developing new transformation protocols and technologies. Major outcomes from this effort include a generalized protocol for transformation of the Bifidobacterium genus and a high-volume electroporation device known as M-TUBE that was created in a collaborative effort. Next, I’ve revealed gene function on a global scale in these organisms using randomly barcoded transposon mutagenesis, chemical genomics, and colonization of germ-free animals. In B. theta, developing a deeper understanding of gene function revealed an unexpected interaction between host diet and nitrogen metabolism that has interesting implications for the control of microbiome physiology during therapeutic interventions. 

Small molecules produced by Bifidobacterium species play a critical role in training the immune system in early life, but the mechanism, physiology, and regulation of production remain unclear. To better understand this process, I established a protocol for assembling genome-scale collections of mutant isolates from barcoded transposon pools. This advance has broad potential to bring genome-scale mechanistic analysis to microbiome members that lack sophisticated genetic tools. Measuring the metabolic capabilities of individual mutants from this collection allowed me to expand our knowledge of the pathway producing immunomodulatory small molecules, identify a specific physiological role for the pathway in B. breve, and explore strategies for controlling small molecule production. This is an exciting first step towards designing immunomodulatory microbiome interventions more precise, effective, and robust. 

Building on these results in my future lab, we will work to develop a deep understanding of the different molecular mechanisms used by Bifidobacterium species to train the immune system in early life. We will also continue to expand the toolkit to new microbiome members and emerging pathogens. Bringing systems biology approaches to the microbiome promises to transform the way we study this microbial community and accelerate the path to designing better microbiome-based therapies. 
 

Presenter: Mark Brewer from Heilbronn University

Host: Dr Felippe Oliveira

Weaving a complex web of waste across its sourcing, production, supply, retail, and after-use cycles, the $1.7 trillion fashion industry is among the world’s three most unsustainable, accounting for approximately ten percent of global carbon emissions. This research seminar builds on Prof. Mark Brewer’s previous work on sustainability and the fashion industry. It will initially examine the staggering environmental impact of the fashion industry and critically analyse the so-called “fashion paradox,” or the dichotomy between the fashion industry’s reliance on ever-changing styles and issues of sustainability. The seminar will also examine the so-called fast fashion industry, critically evaluating its business model and the legal limitations to enhancing sustainability in the fast fashion industry. The seminar will then consider the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility as well as other soft law initiatives. The seminar will also consider corporate personality and the impact that the law plays in skewing companies away from sustainable behaviour, particularly in the fashion industry. Finally, the seminar will consider potential solutions for reducing waste and consumption (including the circular economy, greater emphasis on recycling and reusing, the bioeconomy, etc.) as well as alternative means to connect raw materials, designers, labour, and retailers more closely with consumers, thereby reducing the industry carbon footprint.

Anyone interested in sustainability and/or fashion is warmly welcome to come and be a part of the lively discussion.

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