Microbes: Bridging human and environmental health - Jana Jass (Örebro University)
A seminar with Jana Jass, Professor of microbiology at The Life Science Center / Biology, Örebro University and Vice Dean of collaboration and lifelong learning.
Microbes: Bridging human and environmental health
Prof Jana Jass, Örebro University, Sweden
Microbes are present in nearly all environments and ecological niches on earth, yet we are just beginning to understand their impact on human, animal and environmental health. With increasing quantities and diversity of pharmaceutical and industrial pollution, microbes, in particular bacteria, adapt quickly to their environment. Sometimes these adaptations result in bacterial properties that are beneficial or detrimental to human health. My research focuses on the role of anthropogenic pollutants on microbe – human interactions, such as the increasing levels and diversity of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the environment and the role of gut microbiota on host response to pollutants. Antibiotic resistant pathogens in the environment pose a significant health risk, thus we aim to understand the role of pollutants in the generation and expansion of resistance mechanisms. Alternately, gut microbiota forming a biofilm at the interface between the host and environment, effectively creating a barrier to potential pollutants. Using a Caenorhabditis elegans nematode model we determined that the presence of opportunistic pathogens may not alter C. elegans lifespan under normal conditions, they become more sensitive to toxic substances. Understanding how gut microbiota influences our resilience to environmental toxins may lead to novel interventions to sustain health and reduce the use of antibiotics.
Short Bio
Jana Jass is a Professor of microbiology at The Life Science Center / Biology, Örebro University and Vice Dean of collaboration and lifelong learning. She received her PhD from Exeter University, UK on the effect of electrical currents on Pseudomonas biofilms, followed by a Postdoc at Oxford University UK and Umeå University Sweden where she continued interdisciplinary research on adhesion properties of bacteria. Current research interests include the effects of environmental contaminants on microbe-host interactions and on the emergence and distribution of antimicrobial resistance in different environments. Prof Jass is also on the Board of Directors for the Federation of Microbiology Societies (FEMS), responsible for grants, and co-editor-in-chief of FEMS Microbes.
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=5qeD-c8AAAAJ&hl=en