 Just 15 years ago, the word microbiome didn't even exist. Today, the United States has completed the Human Microbiome Project, and nearly every day scientists are reporting new discoveries about the trillions of bacteria and other microbes that live in and around us. It's tough to stay current, but one easy way to brush up is to tune in to Labroot's second annual microbiology and immunology conference. Leading experts will cover some of the hottest topics in these fields, from the gut microbiome to GMOs, and why it's important to know which microbes call our subway systems and workplaces home. The webinar features a talk by Jim Versalovic, the pathologist in chief at Texas Children's Hospital, and a professor of pathology at Baylor College of Medicine. He'll discuss the complex interplay between our gut microbes and our immune system, and how a better understanding of inflammation might lead to new ways of preventing and treating human diseases, like inflammatory bowel disease and cancer. Other speakers include Dan Dicama of the University of Iowa, who will explain how to harness the microbiome to fend off the deadly infections people pick up in the hospital, such as C. diff. The approach is too prompt, killing skin and mucosal microbes that can spread disease, but preserving and restoring gut microbes. Amy Lieber of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, will go over state-of-the-art ways to culture clinical samples in the lab. And Matthew Fields, the director of the Center for Biofilm Engineering at Montana State University, will provide an update on biofilm diversity, from the various microorganisms to the associated structures biofilm communities make in different environments. The conference will feature additional first-rate presentations on the microbiome and health, including the effects of the gut microbiome on nutrition, as well as global issues and epidemics, methods of preventing and treating infectious disease outbreaks, and rapid diagnostic testing. To catch up on these latest developments and more, and to discuss your findings with colleagues from around the world, join Labroots' free microbiology and immunology conference this September.