(3ex) Precision Reprogramming the Gut Microbiome | AIChE

(3ex) Precision Reprogramming the Gut Microbiome

Authors 

Enam, F. - Presenter, Stanford University
Research Interests

Over 2000 years ago, Hippocrates claimed “All disease begins in the gut”. With the advent of the genomics revolution and mounting evidence of the significance of the gut microbiota or microbiome, this “hidden organ” has indeed been identified as an integral determinant of human health. For example, malnutrition in infants, obesity or antibiotic treatment have been associated with loss in microbial diversity and community disruption. Leveraging on this connection to treat diseases, current therapies to recover this loss of taxa include fecal microbiota transplant and probiotic administration. These treatments rely on the introduction of exogenous microbes whose stable engraftment can be challenging, leading to high treatment failure rates. Numerous recent studies have highlighted the use of dietary interventions to improve recovery and support the microbiota composition in the gut. Although studies have elucidated the dynamics of the composition and behavior of the gut microbiota by altering host diet, strategies to enable stable engraftment and independent modulation of the strains that comprise defined communities by alteration of dietary components to influence intestinal ecosystem niches, remain to be explored. My long-term research interests involve the development of a comprehensive understanding of how the gut microbiome is shaped by human biology and to systematically explore the microbiome space with the goal to make it more tractable.

Teaching Interests

I am very excited by the opportunity to teach classes in chemical engineering. I have a strong academic background in undergraduate and graduate level chemical engineering, biochemistry and statistics coursework and diverse teaching experiences. I am prepared to teach all core undergraduate and graduate courses and develop new electives based on my research background, particularly in synthetic biology, bioengineering and glycobiology. My teaching would extend beyond the classroom to the laboratory, engaging students in an interdisciplinary approach and developing transferrable skills to complement their technical expertise for industry or academia. Throughout my undergraduate and graduate career, I have sought out teaching opportunities with the goals of increasing my students’ intrinsic motivation and helping them develop critical thinking and problem solving skills. I have found mentoring to be an incredibly rewarding experience, and look forward to carrying this on as principal investigator, both for my own lab members, and in a classroom setting.