Decoding the Human Genome: Reading Nature’s Text, Punctuation, and Ongoing Edits

CANSSI Ontario STAGE
International Speaker Seminar Series

Post-seminar Group Discussion

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Dr. Joseph Petronio
Cullen Foundation Endowed Chair
Chairman, Department of Molecular Virology and Microbiology
Director, Alkek Centre for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research
Human Genome Sequencing Centre
Dan L. Duncan Cancer Centre
Department of Ophthalmology
Baylor College of Medicine

Abstract: The Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research (CMMR) at Baylor College of
Medicine is pursuing numerous research and development efforts in the study of how the microbiome
impacts human disease, including autoimmune disease, neurodevelopmental disorders, cancer, and
type 1 diabetes. Among these efforts are the benchmarking and validation of protocols and strategies
to engage large, complex cohorts and unique sample sources for metagenomic analyses. In addition,
we have made a significant investment in preclinical model systems facilitate host-microbe studies and
connect association to causality, as this is a critical hurdle for any microbiome research program. Among
these models are a large germ free rodent facility and physiologically active human culture systems that
mimic host susceptibility and response to determine microbe-host interactions of mucosal diseases. By
implementing ‘omics-based approaches with these translational models, we are beginning to reveal host
responses to microbial colonization and infection which can inform precision medicine-based targets for
the detection and treatment of disease.

Biography: Dr. Petrosino was a principal investigator for the NIH Common Fund Human Microbiome
Project and, in 2011, established the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research
(CMMR), with its mission to develop and implement advanced technologies to understand how the
human microbiome impacts health and disease and translate this knowledge for better therapeutics and
diagnostics.

Over the past eight years, the CMMR has established over 400 microbiome-related projects with over 200
collaborators worldwide. Among the most promising projects is a comprehensive microbiome analysis
of 28,000+ type 1 diabetes (T1D) samples from the NIH/NIDDK TEDDY (The Environmental Determinants
of Diabetes in the Young) prospective cohort which has the goal of identifying microbial taxonomic and
functional associations, and potentially triggers, for T1D. Additionally, the Petrosino laboratory is employing
a variety of biological and engineering approaches to isolate and fractionate and culture live microbial cells
for study of their role in human health and for use in personalized medicine applications where microbiome
interventions are being considered.

In 2013, Dr. Petrosino founded Diversigen, a BCM Technologies start-up where the robust pipelines built
in the CMMR have been commercialized to support biotech and pharmaceutical company needs in the
microbiome and metagenomics-related arenas. He has contributed to more than 120 peer-reviewed
microbiome studies, and his achievements in the microbiome arena led him to be named an American
Society for Microbiology Distinguished lecturer from 2012-2014.