Deep Microbiome Metabolomics

The Department Deep Microbiome Metabolomics investigates the microbial metabolism in the gut and its interactions with drugs, nutrition and human physiology. Various levels are considered: from microbial communities to individual strains and the genes which are involved. State-of-the-art methods such as phenotypic high-throughput screening or omics techniques are used to analyze the properties of microorganisms and, for example, to measure the metabolism of drugs. The Department Deep Microbiome Metabolomics combines expertise from microbiology and research on microbiome-host interactions with systems biology approaches.

Key questions we aim to answer:

• How do drug-microbiome interactions influence drugs’ therapeutic effects and side effects?
• What are the mechanistic effects of micronutrient availability on gut microbial composition, metabolic pathways, and functional outputs?
• How do environmental pollutants modulate the gut microbiome’s resistome, shaping antimicrobial resistance gene acquisition, retention, and expression?

The overarching objective of the Department Deep Microbiome Metabolomics is to gain fundamental understanding of the effects of external perturbations, specifically nutrients, medications, and their combination, on the gut microbiome’s structure and its various functions, thus contributing to the advancement of functional microbiome research and translational medicine.

Renovation and modernization: We are renovating our laboratory and office space

At the beginning of the year, we were given 4 laboratory rooms of a former department, which we are now reorganizing and modernizing according to our ideas, as far as the existing space allows. We are currently in the middle of the renovation and redesign and would like to share our progress with you.

The first steps

The first task was to clear out the cupboards and shelves in the laboratory rooms, which had been empty for some time. While cleaning  we came across many vessels, devices, bottles and accessories, as well as historical rarities. The “HKI flea market” then offered all HKI employees not only a journey into the past but also an exciting opportunity to discover hidden laboratory treasures and get hold of unique laboratory supplies.

After many bags of garbage had been disposed of and almost as many boxes of useful laboratory materials had been filled and stowed away, we were finally able to give the go-ahead for the refurbishment of the first room.

An office is under construction

A former laboratory will be used as an office in future. To begin with, the room was completely cleared out. Everything had to go!

In the next step, this former laboratory area will now be converted into an efficient workspace with height-adjustable office workstations and modern furniture.

A few weeks have passed and the new office is taking shape more and more clearly. The laboratory atmosphere has disappeared, everything has been freshly painted and the flooring has been replaced. Now all that's missing is the furniture.

The new office furniture was delivered and assembled. Immediately, nothing reminds us that this was originally a laboratory.

We would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our fantastic team of in-house technicians and IT. We would not have been able to achieve this miracle without you. We are excited.

And where will research be carried out later?

In addition to an office, our department also needs laboratory space. We currently have 3 laboratories at our disposal. These are being cleared out and rearranged bit by bit. Where possible, they are of course also being modernized.

Life is coming back to the labs

It's done: the 3 laboratories have been renovated and modified so that the first large appliances can be delivered. Now the rooms are really coming to life: Deliverys arrive almost every day, forwarders and tradesmen unpack huge boxes and technicians connect up the equipment or explain to us how to operate it. Exciting!

Finally, the time has come – our lab is ready!

After 10 months of intensive renovation work, we can proudly say: it was worth the wait!
The last cables have been laid, the equipment is in place, everything has been tested and is ready for use – we're good to go!

From now on, it's all about live research in colour! We are really looking forward to starting new experiments, implementing exciting projects and gaining new insights together with our fantastic team.

A particularly wonderful moment: with the launch of our new laboratory, we will soon be welcoming new colleagues! We look forward to creative ideas and many inspiring conversations

All further events, insights and updates from our team can now be found under the ‘All posts’ button. Take a look!