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Niranjan NAGARAJAN
The Skin Microbiome - 'In Sickness and in Health' Genome Institute of Singapore & National University of Singapore |
Abstract
The skin harbours a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses that colonize us at birth and stay with us throughout our lives. While the traditional view of the skin microbiome did not see it as a stable community with host-relevant functions, recent studies have challenged that paradigm, as well as raised concerns about how we might be affecting host-microbiome symbiosis through various interventions and lifestyle changes. In this talk I will outline how we have been using metagenomics to unravel the contributions of the skin microbiome in a common skin disease i.e. Atopic Dermatitis, and how transcriptomics can provide further insights into microbial function on skin.
The skin harbours a diverse ecosystem of bacteria, fungi and viruses that colonize us at birth and stay with us throughout our lives. While the traditional view of the skin microbiome did not see it as a stable community with host-relevant functions, recent studies have challenged that paradigm, as well as raised concerns about how we might be affecting host-microbiome symbiosis through various interventions and lifestyle changes. In this talk I will outline how we have been using metagenomics to unravel the contributions of the skin microbiome in a common skin disease i.e. Atopic Dermatitis, and how transcriptomics can provide further insights into microbial function on skin.
Bio
Niranjan Nagarajan is Associate Director and Senior Group Leader in the Genome Institute of Singapore, and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on developing cutting edge genome analytic tools and using them to study the role of microbial communities in human health. His team conducts research at the interface of genetics, computer science and microbiology, in particular using a systems biology approach to understand host-microbiome-pathogen interactions in various disease conditions. Dr. Nagarajan received a B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University in 2006 (Advisor: Prof. Uri Keich). He did his postdoctoral work in the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland working on problems in genome assembly and metagenomics (Advisor: Prof. Mihai Pop).
Niranjan Nagarajan is Associate Director and Senior Group Leader in the Genome Institute of Singapore, and Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine and Department of Computer Science at the National University of Singapore. His research focuses on developing cutting edge genome analytic tools and using them to study the role of microbial communities in human health. His team conducts research at the interface of genetics, computer science and microbiology, in particular using a systems biology approach to understand host-microbiome-pathogen interactions in various disease conditions. Dr. Nagarajan received a B.A. in Computer Science and Mathematics from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2000, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell University in 2006 (Advisor: Prof. Uri Keich). He did his postdoctoral work in the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology at the University of Maryland working on problems in genome assembly and metagenomics (Advisor: Prof. Mihai Pop).
Chair
John Common, ASRL, Singapore
John Common, ASRL, Singapore