Understanding Human Diseases Through Metabolomics: Interactions Among the Genome, Proteome, Gut Microbiome and Nutrition

The first GRC on Metabolomics and Human Health will be held from February 3-8, 2019, in Ventura, CA USA, and will be co-chaired by Professors Rima Kaddurah-Daouk (Duke University) and Matej Oresic (University of Turku). Metabolomics is the comprehensive analysis of the metabolome, which comprises the set of biochemicals present in cells, tissues, and body fluids. The study of metabolism at the global or ‘‘-omics’’ level is a rapidly growing field that will profoundly impact the future of medical practice. At the centre of human metabolomics is the concept that a person’s metabolic state provides a close representation of that individual’s current overall health status. This metabolic phenotype reflects not only what biochemical reactions have been encoded by the genome, but also modulations by diet, environmental factors, and the gut microbiome, among other influences. The metabolic profile thus provides a quantifiable readout of the biochemical state, ranging from normal physiology to diverse pathophysiologies in a manner that is often cannot be revealed by from gene expression analyses alone.

In this Gordon Conference series, we highlight state state-of-the-art metabolomics technologies and their applications to the study of human health and disease. We will cover very recent developments and breakthroughs in the application of metabolomics to provide a deeper understanding of disease mechanisms, disease heterogeneity and disease progression; variation in treatment outcomes and enablement of precision/personalized medicine approaches; connections between the metabolome, proteome and genome and atlases under development; and effects of the exposome, diet and the gut microbiome on the human metabolome in the context of health. We will highlight large consortia initiatives which enable such epidemiological and clinical studies, functional genomics, nutrigenomics, pharmaceutical applications including toxicology studies, systems pharmacology, and environmental exposures effects on health (exposome) in an integrative setting.

Established and early career investigators, coming from academia, industry and regulatory agencies, are enthusiastically invited to assemble and contribute to this ground-breaking debut GRC meeting on Metabolomics in Human Health.

Registration is via https://www.grc.org/metabolomics-and-human-health-conference/2019/