Date: 27 June 2023 (Tuesday)
Time: 4.00-5.00 pm
Webex: https://bit.ly/URICASeminar
Program (4.00-5.00 pm MYT)
4.00 Officiation
4.10 Speaker 1 – Dr Hiroshi Ohno, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
4.35 Speaker 2 – Assoc. Prof. Dr Tye Gee Jun, Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, USM
Speaker 1
Dr Hiroshi Ohno
RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences
Title
Bacterial metabolite elaidate from high fat diet exacerbates obesity
Abstract
Although recent studies have highlighted the impact of gut microbes on the progression of obesity and related disorders, it is not fully understood how these microbes promote these disorders, especially in terms of the role of microbial metabolites. We have found that Fusimonas intestini, a commensal species of the family Lachnospiraceae, is highly colonized in both humans and mice with obesity , produces a trans unsaturated fatty acid elaidate, and consequently facilitates diet-induced obesity. Mechanistically, elaidate impaired intestinal epithelial integrity to promote metabolic endotoxemia. Our study thus provides a mechanistic linkage between gut commensals and obesity through the overproduction of microbe-derived lipids.
Speaker 2
Assoc. Prof. Dr Tye Gee Jun
Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, USM
Title
Combined Molecular Adjuvant (CASAC): A potential adjuvant for peptide and subunit based vaccine
Abstract
Development of vaccines have come a long way and have been further accelerated with the COVID-19 pandemic. In light of recent advances with mRNA based vaccines, protein subunit and peptide vaccines still has its attraction especially as it is one of the most studied platform for vaccine development. However, the immune system has always highlighted the importance of immunogenicity of a vaccine candidate whereby protein subunit and peptides are seen as low in immunogenicity. This requires the addition of an adjuvant which would then prime the immune system to generate the necessary immunological response worthy of a vaccine. We have developed an adjuvant named Combined Molecular Adjuvant (CASAC) which has shown to be able to generate humoral and cellular responses which would be worthy of further investigation.