Exploring MagIC Microbiome Series
MagIC Microbiome Webinar is set to unveil revolutionary discoveries and explore the immense potential of microbiome research. Join us and immerse yourself in this extraordinary event where renowned experts, researchers, and industry leaders exchange valuable insights that can revolutionize healthcare. Don't miss this opportunity to be at the forefront of microbiome health knowledge.
Who should attend?
Researchers and Scientists
Students
Medical Academic and Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare, Innovation, and Technology Start-Ups and Entrepreneurs
Moderator
Prof. Hein Tun is a public health veterinarian and microbiome scientist, currently an Associate Professor at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Associate Director of the Microbiota I-Center (MagIC). Prof. Tun has been a key member of several microbiome innovations that have significant potential for clinical applications and commercialization. He has published more than 100 original research articles in high-impact journals such as Gut, Gastroenterology, Lancet Microbe, Nature Communication, JAMA Pediatrics, etc. Prof. Tun has received several international research awards and fellowships including the 2023 MolecularCloud Most Social Impact Teams Award, the Gold Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2021 and Canadian Institutes of Health Research Fellowship in 2016. Prof. Tun also serves as an editorial board member of Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences and Frontiers in Microbiology. In addition, he has been serving as an expert reviewer for local and international funding schemes and now serves as a member of various international committees such as the Quadripartite (WHO/OIE/FAO/UNEP) and the scientific steering committee of Pasteur Network (COS-PN).
Prof. Hein Tun
Associate Director
Microbiota I-Center (MagIC)
Upcoming Speakers
20 Mar 2025
Prof. Sunjae Lee
Gwangju Institute of
Science and Technology
TBC
Professor Sunjae Lee is a field expert in data-driven life sciences, developing systems biology tools and applications for the human microbiome and metabolism. He has been recruited as Associate Professor of Bioinformatics, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), one of leading research-oriented institutes in Korea. He has received Ph.D. in bioinformatics/data mining at KAIST, and had professional experiences in world-leading systems biology groups of human and microbiome in Sweden and UK. He has contributed one of the largest bio-molecular map projects of humans, including Human Gut Microbiome Atlas, Human Pathology Atlas, and Human Cell Atlas within Swedish Human Protein Atlas Program. His research activities focus on analysing big-data approaches to identify drivers of microbiome-associated diseases for the deeper understanding of how dysregulated microbiomes can disrupt the metabolic homeostasis between host and microbes. By this way, better diagnosis and therapeutic options for microbiome-associated diseases can be addressed in a patient-specific manner.
19 Jun 2025
Dr Mary Ní Lochlainn
King's College London
Dr Mary NÃ Lochlainn is a Clinical Lecturer in King's College London, and a doctor specialising in Geriatric Medicine in Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital. She has been awarded the British Geriatric Society Rising Star in Research Award. Her interests lie in preventing and reducing morbidity with ageing, in particular via modulation of the gut microbiome.
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Prof. Lulu Xu
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Zhilu Xu, Lulu, is a project leader at Microbiota I-Center. Her research focuses on the gut microbiome in relation to obesity and metabolic diseases. She investigates multi-omics changes in these conditions, seeking to identify specific microbes and metabolites that promote metabolic health and understand their roles and underlying mechanisms through in vitro, in vivo, and human clinical trials. Furthermore, she examines the effects of gut microbiome manipulation techniques such as prebiotics, probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation on the composition and function of the human gut microbiome. She received her PhD in medical sciences from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019. Her work has led to over 20 scientific publications and several licensed patents. Her inventions have led to royalty income and an award-winning synbiotic formulation, demonstrating her ability to translate research into innovative products and technologies.
25 Sep 2025
Dr. Jotham Suez
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Jotham is a Feinstone Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology. His graduate work at the Weizmann Institute of Science, mentored by Prof. Eran Elinav, focused on microbiome-based rational design of therapeutics and diets. He aims to understand how microbes shape human health, promote diversity and equity in academia, and spend more time in nature with his dog Bono.
Dr. Wing Lau
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Dr. LIU Yingzhi is proficient in epidemiology and bioinformatics, focused on the studies related to microbiome in pregnancy and early life. She completed her PhD in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2023. Her research interest is the impact of food additives on maternal and postnatal health in mothers with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or general populations (normal pregnancy). As a member of the early-life team at MagIC Centre, she utilised multi-omics datasets with comprehensive clinical records to describe the relationship between food additives and early-life gut microbes. She has over 20 scientific publications and was awarded by the Research Grand Council (RGC) for the Postdoctoral Fellowship Scheme 24/25.
11 Dec 2025
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Prof. Christopher Smillie
Harvard, Division of Medical Sciences
The Smillie Lab uses systems approaches to understand the mechanisms of host-microbiome interactions. Our research interests are broad, spanning mucosal immunology, microbiome evolution and ecology, and tissue biology, while relying on a combination of computational and experimental methods. The human microbiome has been one of the most fascinating research areas over the past two decades. Mammals and their microbiota have co-evolved for millions of years, giving rise to ancient symbioses that profoundly impact human health and disease. For example, bacterial species have been linked to epithelial cell differentiation (stem cell biology), immune system maturation and function (immunology), and the nervous system (neurobiology), whereas microbial dysbiosis is a hallmark of several diseases.
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Prof. Su Qi
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Prof. Su Qi is a specialist in bioinformatics and fecal microbiome-based artificial intelligence. With several years of experience across gut microbiome and human diseases, he brings a highly skilled approach to the analysis of large multi-omics datasets for clinical and research purposes. He has more than 50 scientific publications with interests in the use and advancement of big data and AI technologies in consumer products and public health. He has developed the world's first non-invasive stool test for long COVID and currently is committed to developing machine learning tools for autism screening and early detection based on the fecal microbiome. His invention has received a series of international recognitions including FDA breakthrough device design and a gold medal from the Geneva Inventions Exhibition 2023.
Webinar Information
Date:
19 December 2024 (Thu)
20 March 2025 (Thu)
19 June 2025 (Thu)
25 September 2025 (Thu)
11 December 2025 (Thu)
Time:
8:00 p.m. – 9:40 p.m. (HKT)
Format:
Online
Language:
The official language of the webinar is English.
Disclaimer:
Whilst every attempt has been made to ensure that all aspects of the summit announced will take place as scheduled, we reserve the right to make changes at any time should the need arise.
Agenda
20 Mar 2025
8:00 p.m.
Introduction
​
8:10 p.m.
Keynote Speech by Professor Sunjae Lee
Topic: Spatial-temporal states of human microbiome in health and disease
​
8:50 p.m.
Q&A
​
9:05 p.m.
Scientific Sharing by TBC
Topic: TBC​
9:25 p.m.
Discussion
19 Jun 2025
8:00 p.m.
Introduction
​
8:10 p.m.
Keynote Speech by Dr Mary Ní Lochlainn
Topic: Targeting the Gut Microbiome to Reduce Morbidity in Ageing, Learning from the PROMOTe Trial
​
8:50 p.m.
Q&A
​
9:05 p.m.
Scientific Sharing by Prof. Lulu Xu
Topic: TBC​
9:25 p.m.
Discussion
25 Sep 2025
8:00 p.m.
Introduction
​
8:10 p.m.
Keynote Speech by Dr. Jotham Suez
Topic: Trailblazing the Future of Personalize Microbiome Medicine
​
8:50 p.m.
Q&A
​
9:05 p.m.
Scientific Sharing by Dr. Wing Lau
Topic: The transgenerational impact of pre-pregnancy food additive on gut microbiome alteration and the long-term effect of postnatal growth​
9:25 p.m.
Discussion
11 Dec 2025
8:00 p.m.
Introduction
​
8:10 p.m.
Keynote Speech by Prof. Christopher Smillie
Topic: TBC
8:50 p.m.
Q&A
​
9:05 p.m.
Scientific Sharing by Prof. Su Qi
Topic: Gut-brain axis and human health
9:25 p.m.
Discussion
Past Webinars
