Microbiome

Many researchers in the Berlin-Brandenburg region are studying the microbiome, the community of microorganisms that reside on and in our bodies. Sofia Forslund from the Experimental and Clinical Research Center now hopes to improve networking among them by establishing a virtual microbiome institute.

A data gap that threatens timely diagnosis and treatment for half the population, the visibility of female researchers in Wikipedia, and myriads of microbes in and on our bodies – the Max Delbrück Center's program for the Berlin Science Week 2023 is focused on dimensions of diversity.

On August 1, 2023, Sofia Forslund will take up a W3 Professorship in Applied Microbiology at Charité. She will continue her scientific work at the ECRC, which involves close collaboration with researchers from the Max Delbrück Center and Charité.

A Berlin-based team led by ECRC researcher Dominik N. Müller is analyzing how inflammation of the intestinal mucosa affects blood vessels. They are still looking for study participants – especially people with inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure and diabetes.

As part of the IMMEDIATE project, a team led by ECRC researcher Friedemann Paul is investigating inflammatory precursors of diseases – and how nutrition and the gut microbiome influence the immune system. The project is receiving more than €7 million in EU funding.

They have their sights set on serious diseases: Gabriele G. Schiattarella analyzes mechanisms of heart failure, Simon Haas wants to improve immunotherapies for leukemia and Michael Sigal would like to prevent gastrointestinal diseases. Now, the ERC is awarding the researchers with a Starting Grant.

What role do a common receptor and diet play in chronic inflammation? That is the question that the Experimental and Clinical Research Center (ECRC) and other partners will pursue over the next three years in a consortium project funded by the BMBF.

At ECRC, Theda Bartolomaeus investigates how the microbes that colonize the human body affect our lives. In our "Lunch Break" video series, the PhD student reveals how she got into biology – and why sports are so important to her.

The PROSPER research project is bringing together researchers at four different sites in Germany to study whether a specific nutritional supplement can protect premature babies from blood poisoning. The BMBF is supporting the project, in which a group from the ECRC is involved, to the tune of €1.9 million.

Changes in the gut microbiome can ultimately lead to cardiovascular disease. Yet some of the alterations appear to normalize in chronic conditions, a team led by ECRC researcher Sofia Forslund reports in "Nature Medicine". This finding may have clinical implications.