Human Microbiome: From Models and Mechanism to Medicine (J4)
January 19-22, 2026
| Fairmont Banff Springs, Banff, AB, Canada
Ami S. Bhatt, Tami Lieberman and Harry Sokol
Scholarship Deadline: Sep. 24, 2025 | Abstract Deadline: Dec. 31, 2025 | Early Registration Deadline: Nov. 21, 2025
| 4:00–8:00 PM |
Registration |
Riverview Lounge |
| 6:00–8:00 PM |
Welcome Mixer |
Riverview Lounge |
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 8:00–9:30 AM |
Welcome and Keynote Session (Joint) |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Emily P Balskus, HHMI-Harvard University
Mechanistic Enzymology of Microbiome-Derived Gene Products |
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Mohamed S. Abou Donia, Princeton University
Production and Metabolism of Bioactive Molecules by the Human Microbiome |
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| 9:30–9:50 AM |
Coffee Break |
Riverview Lounge |
| 10:00–11:30 AM |
Microbial Biochemistry in Health and Disease (Joint) |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Stavroula Hatzios, Yale University
Microbial Modulation of Redox-Active Molecules in the Gut |
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Harry Sokol, Saint-Antoine Hospital
Effect of Microbiome on Energy Metabolism in IBD |
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Tamia A Harris-Tryon, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Host-Microbial Crosstalk at the Skin Surface |
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| 11:15–12:15 PM |
Meet the Editors (Joint) |
Cascade Ballroom |
| 11:15–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 11:15–2:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
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| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 1 |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Anna Ruth Schwarzenbach, University of Oxford
Evolving Pathogen-killing Bacteria as Live Biotherapeutics |
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Bahtiyar Yilmaz, University of Bern
Cradled By Commensals, Provoked by Inflammation: The Dual Life of Natural Antibodies |
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Jordana M. Ferro, McMaster University
Evaluation of a Skin Microbiome-Derived Antifungal Compound for the Treatment of Candida albicans and Candida auris Skin Colonization |
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Jean-Marc Chatel, Micalis Institute
The Microbial Anti-Inflammatory Molecule (MAM) of Faecalibacterium is a Key Protein Processed and Exported to the Envelope |
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Axel Ranson, INSERM/Institut Pasteur de Paris
Dietary Modulation in a Translational Pig Model Identified Early, Sex-Specific Modifications in the Small Intestinal Microbiome and Metabolome, Along with Changes in Peptidoglycan Remodeling |
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Jessica A Jana, University of Pittsburgh
Bacterial Translocation Following PD1 Blockade Drives Immunotherapy Response in Melanoma Through Microbiome-Specific T Cell Polarization |
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Anika Sander †, Technical University of Munich
A Common Polymorphism affecting Intestinal Bilirubin Metabolism alters Microbe-Host Interactions |
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Nora S. Naegele, University of Copenhagen
Dynamic and Reversible Alterations of the Human Intestinal Barrier: Tracking Systemic Impact and Recovery with Non-Invasive Biomarkers |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Riverview Lounge |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
Microbe-Host Interactions |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Mahesh S. Desai, Luxembourg Institute of Health
Diet, the Gut Microbiome and Host Health |
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Ami S. Bhatt, Stanford University
Deciphering Microbe-Host Communication |
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Ramnik Xavier, Massachusetts General Hospital
Large-Scale Population Studies to Understand the Gut-Immune Axis |
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Nathalie Rolhion, INSERM
Short Talk: Faecalibacterium prausnitzii EXL01 Exhibits a Specific Peptidoglycan That is Involved in its Anti-Inflammatory Effect in a NOD2-Dependent Way |
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Meenakshi Chakraborty, Stanford University
Short Talk: Age-Related Microbiome Metabolites Modulate Splicing and Chromatin Accessibility in the Brain |
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| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 1 |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Microbe-Microbe Interactions in the Human Microbiome |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Tami Lieberman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Evolution of the Skin Microbiome Across Scales |
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Sur Herrera Paredes, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Population Genetics to Study Evolution in the Human Microbiome |
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Naama Geva-Zatorsky, Technion Institute of Technology
Functional Plasticity in Microbiota-Host interactions |
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Benjamin D. Ross, Dartmouth College
Mechanisms and Consequences of Microbial Warfare in the Gut |
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Isaiah Song, Keio University Institute for Advanced Biosciences
Short Talk: iX-seq: A Droplet Microfluidics Platform For Uncovering Cross-Feeding Interactions In The Human Gut Microbiota |
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Smita Gopinath, Harvard School of Public Health
Short Talk: Microbiome-mediated Inhibition of Herpes Simplex Virus Infections |
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| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
Riverview Lounge |
| 11:00–1:00 PM |
Poster Setup |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 11:00–3:00 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
|
| 1:00–10:00 PM |
Poster Viewing |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 2:00–3:30 PM |
Career Roundtable (Joint) |
Alhambra Ballroom |
| 3:30–4:30 PM |
Panel Discussion |
Alhambra Ballroom |
| 4:00–5:00 PM |
Coffee Break with Hot Chocolate, Firepits & Mountain Views |
Conservatory Terrace |
| 5:00–7:00 PM |
In vivo Diversity and Dynamics |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Bernat Olle, Vedanta Biosciences
Development of Potential First-in-Class Live Biotherapeutic Products for Gastrointestinal Diseases |
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Julie A. Segre, National Institutes of Health
Global Skin Microbiomes and Emerging Fungal Pathogens |
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Sarah Lebeer, University of Antwerp
Citizen Science to Study the Vaginal Microbiome |
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Eitan Yaffe, Stanford
Short Talk: Mobilization of Resistance Genes in the Human Gut Under Antibiotic Pressure |
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Erica T Grant, Luxembourg Institute of Health
Short Talk: Mucin on the Menu: Insights into the Mucus-Associated Microbiome from the LUXFICO Study |
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| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 7:30–10:00 PM |
Poster Session 2 |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
Thursday, January 22, 2026
| 7:00–8:00 AM |
Breakfast |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 8:00–11:00 AM |
Advanced Methods to Study the Microbiome (Joint) |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Donald E. Ingber, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard
Studying the Vaginal Microbiome with Organ-on-a-Chip Methods |
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Jared Kehe †, Concerto Biosciences
Talk Title to be Announced |
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Elaine Y. Hsiao, University of California, Los Angeles
Advances in the Gut-Brain Axis |
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Diego R Gelsinger, Columbia University
Short Talk: Metagenomic Editing of Commensal Bacteria in vivo using CRISPR-associated Transposases |
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Nick Burton, Van Andel Institute
Short Talk: A High-Throughput Screening Platform for Identifying Microbiome Produced Metabolites that Regulate Animal Physiology |
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| 9:00–9:20 AM |
Coffee Break |
Riverview Lounge |
| 9:20–9:25 AM |
Award Recipient Acknowledgement |
Cascade Ballroom |
| 11:00–2:30 PM |
On Own for Lunch |
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| 2:30–4:30 PM |
Symposia Spotlight 2 |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Jim Shaw, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Algorithmic Advances in Nanopore Metagenome Assembly Uncover Hidden Strain Diversity and Genome Dynamics |
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Lindsay S Moffatt, University of Guelph
An Efficient Trigonometry-Based Method for High-Throughput Whole Genome Analysis |
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Piotr Rozwalak, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
Mushuvirus is the Most Prevalent Human Gut Bacteriophage Worldwide |
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Yuya Kiguchi, Stanford University
Small Protein Array of the Human Microbiome is a Modulator of Macrophage Polarization |
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Lior Lobel, Bar-Ilan University
Unveiling Bacterial Molecular Mechanisms in Cancer Immunotherapy Response: A Novel Metaproteomic Approach |
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Vincent Charron-Lamoureux, University of California - San Diego
Creating and Searching a Metadata Network Graph for Microbiome Metabolomics |
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Saria McKeithen-Mead, Stanford University
Capturing Evolution via Gene Transfer in the Gut Microbiome |
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Jason J Biemond, Amsterdam University Medical Centers
Gut Microbiota and Resistome Dynamics in Sepsis ICU Patients in India; A Large Longitudinal Prospective Cohort Study |
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| 4:30–5:00 PM |
Coffee Available |
Riverview Lounge |
| 5:00–6:45 PM |
Microbiome Drivers of Disease |
Cascade Ballroom |
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Benjamin Hadida, Exeliom Biosciences
Microbiome-Based Therapeutics for Cancer Treatment |
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Karine Clément, INSERM / Sorbonne Universite
Diabetes, Obesity and the Gut Microbiome |
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Premysl Bercik, McMaster University
Microbiome and IBS |
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Julien Pujo, McMaster University
Short Talk: Bacterial Phospholipids Induce Chronic Abdominal Pain In Patients With Irritable Bowel Syndrome |
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| 6:45–7:00 PM |
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions (Organizers) |
Cascade Ballroom |
| 7:00–8:00 PM |
Social Hour with Dinner |
Alberta/New Brunswick |
| 8:00–9:00 PM |
Entertainment |
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