Published on April 10, 2012  

Samford will host a free public lecture by University of North Carolina-Charlotte genome expert Anthony Fodor April 13 at 2 p.m. in the university's Planetarium.

Fodor, assistant professor in the Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics at UNC-Charlotte, will report recent studies that show strong correlations between the bacteria in the human intestine, inflammation and cancer expression in mice and humans.

Fodor's lab specializes in developing new computer-based tools to visualize and interpret genomic data. His areas of research include: the role of the human gut microbiota as contributors to fatty liver; the use of next generation sequencing technology to characterize infections in Cystic Fibrosis; the role of bacteria in normal colon of patients with and without adenomas (glandular tumors;) and probiotics as mediators of gut inflammation and as chemopreventive agents.
 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.