(2026)
Facultative heterochromatin mediated by core and accessory chromosome-encoded H3K27-specific methyltransferases controls virulence in a fungal phytopathogen.
Nucleic Acids Res 54(1),
gkaf1441.
Humans share up to 99.5% of their genetic makeup, yet display significant diversity in microbiota composition, with only 10–20% common species. At the Department of Microbiome Dynamics, we are pioneering personalized medicine and nutrition strategies centered on the gut microbiome —a crucial determinant of human health and individual dietary responses. Boasting a gene count 150 times greater than the human genome, the gut microbiome represents a vast repository of enzymes with immense metabolic and food-metabolizing capacities.
Our multidisciplinary team harnesses experimental meta-omics and cutting-edge eco-systems biology to unravel the complexities of host-microbiome interactions. By focusing on the dynamic interplay between microbiomes and their hosts, our research aims to identify the mechanisms driving chronic diseases and infection susceptibility, and to implement precision health interventions.
Our approach
Our research is highly collaborative, targeting the role of microbiomes in globally significant diseases to develop novel, patient-specific therapies. We are examining host-microbiome interactions across metabolic diseases, infections, cancer, and sepsis by generating and analysing diverse and large-scale biological data. To advance from correlative studies to causative insights into microbiome-related disease pathophysiology, we design cross-sectional and longitudinal studies, as well as randomized controlled trials.
We leverage machine learning techniques to integrate clinical data, host biology, and comprehensive multi-omics, facilitating disease subtype identification and treatment response prediction. Furthermore, innovative approaches such as human fecal microbiota transplants into germ-free models, alongside single species and microbial consortia assessments in cell lines and gut systems, enhance our investigations.
Our department is committed to shifting paradigms in diet-microbiome research by pursuing a holistic view of the holobiome, with the ultimate goal of informed and personalized nutritional strategies to extend healthspan and prevent chronic disease and microbial infections.
Team
