Research

We investigate how bacterial responses to stimuli, metabolic adaptations, and keystone metabolites influence gut health and microbial ecology, using disease models like Parkinson’s and IBD. 

We explore pre- and probiotic interventions using SynComs, stoma, and fecal material to understand microbial community interactions and bacterial adaptations, aiming for effective, tailored microbial reprogramming.

The old saying “You are what you eat" may hold deeper significance than previously thought. We study how modern agricultural practices that prioritize quantity over quality a interconnects with the rising prevalence of non-communicable disorders in our society.

One major staple of our work is the culture of anaerobic organisms isolated from human material. For this we make use of a well equipped Coy anaerobic chamber. 

Analysing the metabolic end products of bacterial communities is important to understand their function. To achieve this we use Ion Chromatography as well as Mass Spectrometry.

We use diverse cell-culture-based screening platforms, such as PRESTO Tango or AhR. This allows us to study activation of receptors by bacterial metabolites.

Often pure abundance of a pharmacologically relevant organism in the microbiome does not correlate to its activity. We thus developed a screening assay to directly determine enzyme activity towards a substrate of interest. 

The microbiome has an influence on the host, ranging from changes in metabolic and immune function, but also gut peristalsis. Here we set up a system to specifically study these gut movements.