Mr Muslihudeen Abdul-Aziz

I'm currently a doctoral candidate at the Australian Centre for Ancient DNA.

My project is focused on analyzing oral microbial communities (microbiomes) of ancient hunter-gatherers and early farming communities from the Middle East, Africa and Europe using dental calculus (calcified dental plaque), a calcified biofilm created by the bacteria living in our mouths. Our microbiomes play an essential role in our health, by learning more about how our microbiomes have evolved and changed with us through time, we may be better able to treat the burgeoning incidence of 'diseases of affluence' (obesity, diabetes, asthma etc.) that we see today.

Key areas of research are:
Using ancient microbiomes to better understand the impact of diet on oral diseases.
Determining how the oral microbiome has changed through time, and how these changes relate to the health of the host.
To explore the co-evolution of our microbiomes and the human genome (the totality of genes in the human body).