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We are excited to host the 2020 WEP Film Festival, where renowned scientists will introduce and lead discussions for a range of educational documentaries and fictional film screenings related to this year’s theme ‘Personalized Medicine’.

Is the future of medicine being played out in your intestine? Recent discoveries about the micro-universe nestled in our guts have enabled us to better understand such diverse conditions as diabetes, obesity, inflammatory bowel diseases, some types of cancer, and even autism and depression. This understanding gives hope for a cure for chronic conditions that have so far resisted the efforts of modern medicine. For a long time, little was known about the intestinal microbiota. It is now slowing revealing its secrets. “It’s like discovering a new organ!” exclaims pioneering researcher Dusko Ehrlich. What makes it work? Symbiosis, i.e. the harmony between it and the rest of the organism. In fact, we have a kind of contract with the 100,000 billion bacteria living in our intestines: in exchange for room and board, they keep us healthy by producing a range of molecules. Thousands of scientists worldwide are currently working on decoding the singular language of this contract.

Dr. Adeel Ahmad -from KAUST Health- and microbiologist Mona Alsomali will introduce and lead the discussion of this screening. 

Microbiota: The amazing powers of the gut from YUZU Productions on Vimeo.