Wednesday, 29th January | 1:00 PM – 8:00 PM Great Hall, KCL Strand Campus, Strand, London, WC2R 2LS
The London Microbiome Meeting is an annual in-person event, first held in 2014, designed to foster discussion, share knowledge, and stimulate debate on human microbiome research within London and beyond. This conference provides a comprehensive overview of the latest research findings and methodological advancements in the field.
This year’s focus is the intricate relationship between nutrition, aging, and the gut microbiome, with a special emphasis on how these factors shape human health. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with leading microbiome experts and build a strong research network, drawing from institutions in London and around the world.
This is a ticketed event for researchers and clinicians only. Tickets available here.
There will be a poster session (apply here – application deadline 10th December).
Hosted by the Department of Twins Research and the Department of Nutritional Sciences,
Sponsored by Yakult.
Agenda
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Arrival and Welcome Drinks
1:30 PM – 1:40 PM
Opening Remarks
Prof. Claire Steves
1:40 PM – 3:40 PM
Talks and Q&A Session
– Prof. Paul Cotter, Teagasc Food Research Centre
“Harnessing the potential of fermented food microbiome”
– Dr. Amrita Vijay, University of Nottingham
“The gut microbiome and metabolic health”
– Prof. Tariq Iqbal, NIHR
“Setting up a national FMT service for CDI and for use in discovery trials”
3:40 PM – 4:00 PM
Break and Poster Viewing
4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Talks and Q&A Session
– Prof. Lindsay Hall, Quadram Institute
“The gut microbiome in early life”
– Dr. Anjali Chander, King’s College London
“The role of Fusobacterium nucleatum in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma development and treatment outcomes”
– Prof. Debbie Shawcross, King’s College London
“Poo pills – a new paradigm in the treatment of liver disease”
6:00 PM – 6:10 PM
Closing Remarks
Prof. Kevin Whelan
6:10 PM – 8:00 PM
Drinks and Nibbles
Speakers
Prof. Paul Cotter, Teagasc Food Research Centre
Talk title: Harnessing the potential of fermented food microbiome
Bio: Prof Paul Cotter is the Head of Food Biosciences at Teagasc, is a Principal Investigator with the large Irish Research Centres, APC Microbiome Ireland, VistaMilk and Food for Health Ireland and CTO/co-founder of SeqBiome, a microbiome sequencing and bioinformatics service provider. He is a molecular microbiologist, with a particular focus on the microbiology of foods (especially fermented foods), the food chain, and of humans, as well as probiotics and postbiotics. Prof Cotter is the author of >400 peer-reviewed, was included in the Clarivate list of highly cited researchers for 2018-2023, received an honorary doctorate from the University of Antwerp in 2024, and is the Field Chief Editor of Frontiers in Microbiology.
Prof. Tariq Iqbal, NIHR
Talk title: Setting up a national FMT service for CDI and for use in discovery trials
Bio: I have practiced as a Gastroenterologist in the NHS for 30 years and my main interest is in IBD. I set up the first national FMT service at the MTC of which I am the director and was CI of the first multi-centre trial using FMT to treat IBD.
Prof. Lindsay Hall, Quadram Institute
Talk title: The gut microbiome in early life
Bio: Prof Lindsay Hall is the Chair of Microbiome Research at the University of Birmingham, and she is also an affiliated Group Leader at the Quadram Institute and a Wellcome Investigator. Her lab’s research focus involves defining microbe/microbiota interactions during the early life developmental window. She also has a keen interest in bringing the magical world of the microbiome to life for public audiences and school children. She obtained a BSc in Microbiology from the University of Glasgow, a PhD in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Cambridge, and was a postdoctoral fellow at University College Cork, Ireland (APC Microbiome Institute). She returned to the UK to take up a Senior Lectureship at the University of East Anglia before moving to the Quadram Institute. Prior to Lindsay joining the University of Birmingham, she was Chair of Intestinal Microbiome at the Technical University of Munich in Germany.
Prof. Debbie Shawcross, King’s College London
Talk title: Poo pills – a new paradigm in the treatment of liver disease
Bio: Debbie Shawcross is a Clinician Scientist and Professor of Hepatology and Chronic Liver Failure at the Institute of Liver Studies and James Black Centre, King’s College London. She works as a Consultant Hepatologist on the King’s Liver Unit with a specialist interest in hepatic encephalopathy, liver failure syndromes and the complications of cirrhosis. She joined the EASL [European Association for the Study of the Liver] Scientific Committee and Governing Board in October 2022 and was elected Vice Secretary General of EASL in June 2023. She is an advocate for high quality education and training in gastroenterology and hepatology having been a Health Education England London Gastroenterology Training Programme Director for 10 years, British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG) Mentor and an active member of the BSG Supporting Women in Gastroenterology. She is Chair of the BSG Research Committee.
Her research programme characterises the immunobiology of chronic liver failure focusing specifically on the gut-liver-brain axis in the context of the gut microbiome as a driver of immune dysfunction, inflammation and encephalopathy. She is leading the field in clinical trials of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) in Europe and is Chief Investigator of the NIHR-funded EME UK multicentre randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial of FMT (capsules) [PROMISE Trial] in patients with metabolic-associated and alcohol-related cirrhosis.
Dr Amrita Vijay, University of Nottingham
Talk title: Supplementing Health: Anti-Inflammatory effects of Nutrients and Foods
Bio: Dr Amrita Vijay is a Research Associate in Gut Microbiome and Metabolic Health at University of Nottingham. She completed her PhD at King’s College London, where she specialised in salivary and mucosal biology. She then pursued her postdoctoral research at the TwinsUK, Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King’s College London before moving to Nottingham where she currently works with Professor Ana Valdes, leading dietary intervention studies focussing on gut microbiome and metabolic health both in the UK as well as in India.
Her current research focuses on observational and interventional studies on the role of nutrition, gut microbiome and metabolomics in relation to health and disease. Dr Vijay was awarded under the Nottingham Reward Scheme in recognition of her valuable contribution to research for 2020/2021.
Dr Anjali Chander, King’s College London
Talk title: The role of Fusobacterium nucleatum in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma development and treatment outcomes
Bio
Anjali is a final year PhD student based in the Centre for Host-Microbiome Interactions at King’s College London. She is supervised by Dr Miguel Reis Ferreira and Dr David Moyes. Her research focuses on exploring the impact of the microbiome on head and neck cancer treatment outcomes. Her area of interest is specifically looking at Fusobacterium nucleatum and its role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma development and treatment outcomes.
Anjali completed her MBBS degree at King’s College London in 2013 in addition to undertaking an intercalated BSc in Physiology in 2010. This has been followed by gaining post-graduate clinical qualifications including Membership of the Royal College of Physicians and Fellowship of the Royal College of Radiologists. She is currently a senior specialty registrar (ST7) in Clinical Oncology, and has a strong interest in managing patients with head and neck cancers.
