Pioneering scientist George Weinstock, Ph.D., a renowned expert in the field of genomics at The Jackson Laboratory, will visit Eastern Connecticut State University on Jan. 27 to discuss “The Human Microbiome: A New Frontier That Might Just Affect Everything.” The lecture will take place at 3 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre as part of Eastern’s spring semester University Hour series. The public is invited to attend, as the talk is designed to appeal to all audience members.

Weinstock’s illustrious career spans several revolutions in biomedical science, from the first experiments to stitch together DNA from multiple sources, to the development of methods for decoding DNA, to the emergence of genomics as a formal scientific discipline; genomics is the study of the entirety of an organism’s genes.

“The human microbiome comprises all the microbes (microorganisms) that live in and on our bodies,” said Weinstock. “Think about all the microorganisms in your body as an ecological community. In other words, they’re not just a bunch of independent organisms you’re carrying around with you, but rather they’re part of an integrated community that’s doing something together.

“Virtually every process is affected by the mircobiome,” continued Weinstock, “and we are often thought of as super organisms because of the detailed integration between our human and microbial cells.”

Study of the microbiome is a brand-new field — less than two decades old — that Weinstock says will change medical practices. “Technology is now allowing detailed insights into this complex ecosystem that makes us who we are.”

This is the first in a series of three events bringing The Jackson Laboratory to Eastern’s campus this year. Details for upcoming events will soon be released.

This event is funded by the Connecticut Health and Life Sciences Career Initiative (HL-SCI), a Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant from the U.S. Department of Labor that is designed to prepare workers for Connecticut’s growing health and life sciences sector.

The Jackson Laboratory is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution. Its mission is to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health.