Dr. Matthew Olm
Assistant Professor - Dept. Integrative Physiology at CU Boulder
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley - Microbiology
B.Sc., University of Pittsburgh – Microbiology; Minor in Computer Science
Date: October 3rd
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Location: Denver Campus – Science Building, Room 2001
How Do Babies Build Their Microbiomes?
Infants are born without a microbiome, and in the first months of life their guts are rapidly seeded and shaped by maternal transmission, diet, and environment. In this talk we will explore how these early microbial communities assemble across different lifestyles, how breast milk components such as human milk oligosaccharides and secretory IgA influence which microbes thrive, and why Bifidobacteria are so critical in early infancy.
Drawing on global comparisons, I show that industrialization profoundly alters this process- reducing beneficial strains and reshaping immune interactions- which may help explain rising rates of chronic immune disorders in industrialized countries. By integrating metagenomic and immunological tools, we can begin to trace where infant strains come from, how they are selected, and what this means for long-term health.