Clinical Research Unit for microbiome-host interactions
The Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at Tübingen University Hospital, headed by Christoph Stein-Thoeringer, combines expertise from the fields of clinical medicine, infectious diseases, microbiome research, immunology, basic sciences, and epidemiology. Scientists and physicians collaborate closely to study various aspects of hospital-acquired infections, develop personalized prevention and prediction strategies for severe infections, and contain of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. A central focus is on investigating microbiome-host interactions in hospitalized and critically ill patients.
The group analyzes the composition and function of the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites, as well as immune cell and cytokine profiles. They then link this data to clinical outcomes. The goal is to identify biomarker signatures that predict the risk of colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs), bloodstream infections, and sepsis.
The CRU is experienced in designing and implementing multicenter clinical trials and serves as a central study platform within the DZIF's research area Healthcare-Associated Infections.
Current studies
The CRU is investigating long-term outcomes, risk factors, and prognostic models for short- and long-term mortality in the DZIF study BLOOMY, which uses a large cohort of patients with bloodstream infections.
In the DZIF project TIARA, the team analyzes microbiome, metabolome, and immune cell profiles in order to identify predictive markers for the risk of colonization by multidrug-resistant pathogens and for infection complications after complex abdominal surgeries. The CRU also supports other DZIF studies, such as SHIELD, and provides counseling for study management and translational analyses.
Another area of focus is investigating the diet-microbiome-immune axis in patients with acute infections. This involves analyzing the correlations between dietary habits, antibiotic therapy, changes to the microbiome, immune phenotypes, and clinical endpoints, such as sepsis or the need for intensive care.
Furthermore, the CRU is investigating microbiome-host dynamics in immunosuppressed patients, including cancer patients. The overall goal is to define pathological interaction networks between the microbiota and the immune system, and to identify new predictive markers for bloodstream infections and sepsis.