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Sarkis Mazmanian, PhD |
Microbiologist Sarkis Mazmanian, PhD, will present the 16th annual Fredric S. Fay Memorial Lecture on Monday, Nov. 16. The lecture, “The Gut-Microbiome-Brain Connection in Autism,” will focus on the seminal discovery from Dr. Mazmanian’s lab that gut bacteria impact behavior and neurodevelopment in mouse models of autism. He is the Louis and Nelly Soux Professor of Microbiology in the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering at the California Institute of Technology.
Mazmanian’s work has focused on the study of beneficial gut bacteria and their molecules as probiotic therapies for inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and multiple sclerosis. His lab has advanced the concept that specific gut bacteria promote anti-inflammatory immune responses, by producing unique ligands that actively elicit mucosal tolerance in the gut. This work has led to the discovery of novel drug candidates that are being developed as pharmaceuticals for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. This example illustrates that harnessing the immunomodulatory potentials of the microbiome is a viable strategy for developing new therapies for potentially a wide range of immunologic diseases. Mazmanian continues to advance paradigm-shifting ideas about microbe symbiosis and the ecosystem that lives on and in our bodies.
Mazmanian is an international member of the National Academy of Sciences, Republic of Armenia; the associate editor of the Microbiology and Immunology Affinity Group for the Journal of Biological Chemistry, co-founder of Symbiotix Biotherapies; and founder of Neurobiotix Health Inc. He has received numerous honors, including Best Brains in Science under 40 by Discover magazine; Benirschke Scholar in Ulcerative Colitis Research from the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation; Investigator in Pathogenesis of Infectious Disease Award from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund; a Catalyst Alumni Award from the UCLA Molecular Biology Institute; and most notably, a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship.
The 16th annual Fredric S. Fay Memorial Lecture will take place on Monday, Nov. 16, at 3 p.m. in the Albert Sherman Center auditorium. A reception in the multi-purpose room (AS1.2130 east/AS1.2130 west) on the first floor of the Sherman Center will immediately follow the lecture.
