The 7th International Conference on Microbiome Engineering (ICME) brings together scientists across the quickly growing field of microbiome engineering. Held November 12–14, 2024 at Tufts University in Boston, MA, the ICME’s program is unique among microbiome conferences in that it specifically highlights the integration of engineering design principles with microbiome research. The conference integrates synthetic biology, systems biology, microbial ecology, and bioinformatics across a range of application spaces including the environment, manufacturing, food, and human health.
Sarah Lebeer is a research professor at the University of Antwerp and keynote speaker at the conference. She shared with us about what she’ll be speaking about in her ICME keynote and some of the new and developing technologies that have influenced her research.
What inspired you to do research in the field of microbiomes?
Since the start of my research career, I have been intrigued by the concept of “beneficial bacteria,” meaning that we live in symbiosis with bacteria and that they can promote health. I first started to work on single bacterial species of lactobacilli, but soon realized that they can only exert their beneficial actions as part of an ecosystem or a microbiome. I also had a great mentor who inspired me to explore this new field, Prof. Jos Vanderleyden (KU Leuven).
How do you envision your field of research solving some of the challenges in society?
The rise of antimicrobial resistance is a major pandemic threatening our society. Microbiome-based therapies could be alternatives for many of the current antibiotic treatments, such as use of antibiotics during delivery to prevent Group B streptococcus-mediated colonization and associated sepsis in neonates. In addition, microbiome-based therapeutics have the potential to prevent and treat many non-communicable and immune-mediated diseases, ranging from diabetes to cancer.
Are there any new developments, technologies, or applications of technologies in your research that you are particularly excited about?
I am particularly excited about the technology developments to study microbiome ecosystem dynamics in clinical studies, such as by implementing self-sampling and cocreative citizen science, and in the lab in synthetic communities in simple and more advanced systems, such as with bioreactors and advanced approaches to implement host cells such as in a vagina- and gut-on-a-chip. These improvements are also important to reduce the number of unnecessary animal experiments. I am also excited about the therapeutic developments and new formulation strategies to design novel microbiome-based therapeutics.
What are you hoping the audience takes away from this conference and your presentation?
I hope the audience will be inspired to explore new bio-engineering approaches for microbiome engineering in different ecosystems. With my lecture, I hope to inspire and inform them about the vaginal ecosystem, a crucial ecosystem connected to women’s, men’s, and children’s health, with many opportunities for ecosystem engineering and innovative clinical trial designs.
Learn more about the 7th International Conference on Microbiome Engineering.
There are grants available to attend ICME. If you are a U.S.-based student, post doc, assistant professor, or early-career academic professional, your registration may be supported. Learn more and apply.
About SBE
Established in 2004, the Society for Biological Engineering is a technological community for engineers and applied scientists integrating biology with engineering. Members of SBE come from a broad spectrum of industries and disciplines and share in SBE’s mission of realizing the benefits of bioprocessing, biomedical, and biomolecular applications. Learn more about SBE.