Mojtaba Tefagh - Department of Mathematical Sciences, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESThe human microbiome is a complex community of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi that live in the body. This presentation explores the significant role of the human microbiome in the context of metabolic diseases, emphasizing the need for a multidisciplinary approach that combines diverse biological data, computational methods, and biochemical knowledge. By integrating high-throughput omics data and optimization techniques, the goal is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the microbiome's impact on human health, paving the way for advancements in personalized medicine and innovative probiotic therapies.MATERIALS AND METHODSOne of the key methods used in integrative systems biology is Constraint-Based Reconstruction and Analysis (COBRA). Employing COBRA in microbial community modeling allows us to harness optimization techniques to unravel complex community-level interactions, including metabolite exchange and cross-feeding among species. The process begins with the construction of genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs) for individual species. However, the true strength of COBRA emerges when these GEMs are coupled with optimization methods, particularly Flux Balance Analysis (FBA), to predict the optimal distribution of metabolic fluxes for each species. This allows for the exploration of microbe-microbe, diet-microbe and microbe-host interactions within microbial communities and their host environments, providing insights into complex metabolic dependencies.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONIn this presentation, we will delve into some initial findings concerning the common proposed mechanisms by which the gut microbiome may instigate the onset of obesity. The results of COBRA studies shed light on the intriguing connections between the composition and function of the gut microbiome and the development of obesity. By employing optimization techniques in bacterial community modeling via COBRA, researchers can engineer community-level metabolic behaviors, impacting drug design and enhancing our understanding of the human gut microbiota.CONCLUSIONObesity is a complex and multifaceted health issue, and recent research has suggested that the gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in regulating metabolism and energy balance. This presentation underscores integrative systems biology's central role in comprehending the microbiome's influence on metabolic diseases, with a specific focus on obesity. Additionally, the examination of the gut microbiome's link to obesity highlights the transformative potential of integrative systems biology in healthcare and personalized medicine.

Metabolic Network, Obesity, COBRA, Bacterial Community, Gut Microbiota