Bridging Topic: Microbiome
Our growing understanding of microbe-host interactions is expected to contribute for example to the development of new diagnostics and anti-infectives.
Trillions of microorganisms colonise the intestine and other surfaces of the human body—this microbiome with its incredible diversity is vital for humans. At the same time, if it gets out of balance, it can also be the cause of various diseases. The goal of the scientific community is therefore to better understand the interactions between the microbes and the host, thus setting the stage for the development of new microbiome-based therapeutics. One example of the potential inherent in microbiome-based drugs is the cure of severe diarrhea caused by Clostridioides difficile infections using stool transplants. This is a project that is already being successfully developed at DZIF. In the future, it may be possible to use both small molecules in the form of prebiotics and live bacteria as probiotics. The legal hurdles for new medical products based on living bacteria are high and must be clarified in time.
Mission of the Bridging Topic "Microbiome"
The interdisciplinary group "Microbiome" has set itself the goal of promoting the development and clinical validation of microbiome-based interventions and diagnostics and thus translating fundamental findings into new anti-infectives. To this end, experts outside the DZIF and in the other centres of the DZG as well as international working groups are to be explicitly recruited for collaboration. Young researchers in this field are particularly encouraged. The existing GMP facility for the preparation of faecal microbiota transplantation products should also be available for use by other partners.
