Microbial Community Dynamics

Research topics

The human microbiome plays a crucial role in our health by influencing immune function, metabolism, and even brain development. Studying this complex ecosystem of microorganisms that live in our bodies can lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases, developing personalized medicine approaches. The Microbial Community Dynamics (MCD) lab is unravelling the complexity of the human microbiota using both top-down and bottom-up systems through integrated computational and experimental approaches.

Isolation and characterization of new probiotics

A substantial portion of the microbiota community remains uncharacterized, and many named species lack comprehensive phenotypic profiles. We applied culturomics methods to human samples, including fecal specimens, colonic tissue, and ovarian tissue, to isolate and identify novel bacterial species. We integrated computational and experimental approaches to characterize the new isolates through genomic analysis and phenotypic profiling.

Microbial single and social behaviours

In microbial communities, species do not exist in isolation but interact with other community members. We are study both individual and social behaviors of our new isolates in response to different environmental conditions, including their responses to various carbon sources and xenobiotics. We combine experimental results and omics data with ecological modeling approaches to study their fitness and interactions.

Host microbiota interaction in vitro-models

In collaboration with Professor Rizzolio, we investigate the complex interactions between the microbiota and host organisms. Our research focuses on developing innovative in vitro gut models to examine how newly isolated bacterial strains or microbiota community interact and influence host responses in both healthy and diseased states.