The Human Microbiome

Matthew is based at the Department of Biochemistry in Cambridge, working to understand how enzymes interact with carbohydrates derived from plants. Carbohydrates, such as cellulose, are essential for plant structure and provide both us and our gut bacteria with the energy we need to survive. His research involves developing methods to collect environmental DNA and test the proteins encoded by this DNA to find new enzymes that nature has created to break down carbohydrates. He uses a cutting-edge technique called droplet microfluidics, which allows him to test millions of enzymes per day!

The human microbiome - the bacterial community living on and in the human body - increasingly recognised for its importance in mental and physical health. But, has today’s healthy microbiome always been a healthy microbiome? Using ancient DNA recovered from ancient dental plaque, we can explore the microbiomes of our ancestors and the impact of our cultural evolution on this critical community. Based on his PhD work compiling the largest collection of human microbiome for a single country and the ongoing research using this data, Dr Andrew Farrer will explore our microbiome’s fascinating past.