Evolutionary medicine: What does evolutionary biology have to offer biomedical research?

Plön Winter Talks at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology

The third lecture in this year's series of Plön Winter Talks at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology (MPI) will be given by Dr John Baines, of the Evolutionary Medicine Research Group. His talk will focus on the interface between evolutionary biology and medicine.

Evolutionary medicine represents the interface between the two major subject areas of evolutionary biology and medicine. In the past, there was little exchange between these two fields. However, current challenges in biomedicine highlight the importance and significance of evolution in modern medicine. In his lecture, Prof. Dr. John Baines will outline the historical developments that have led to a growing community of experts in evolutionary medicine. Likewise, he will present some of the key applications that have led to groundbreaking new discoveries in areas such as infection biology and cancer research.

John Baines is Professor of Evolutionary Genomics at Christian Albrechts University in Kiel. As part of the Cluster of Excellence "Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation", his appointment is split between the Medical Faculty of CAU and the Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Evolutionary Biology in Plön. His research group runs laboratories both at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, and at the MPI and thus serves as a link between medical and evolutionary biology research. Research foci of his group are the evolution of disease genes and the genetic basis of the interaction between mammals with their symbiotic microbiota, especially in relation to chronic inflammatory diseases.

The lecture will take place on 28 February at 7 pm in the lecture hall of the Max Planck Institute in Plön. Admission is from 6:30 pm. The lecture hall is located in the interim building opposite the main entrance. Registration is not necessary.