Clinician Scientist Young Investigator Research Group 'Gastrointestinal infections'
Between 30 and 44 percent of Germans are infected with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. Even if no symptoms occur, such an infection can increase the long-term risk of developing stomach cancer. Due to an increase in primary antibiotic resistance, therapy must be tailored precisely to avoid unnecessary antibiotic administration. Riccardo Vasapolli's research group is investigating factors suspected to influence the malignant progression of H. pylori infection. Considering a broad spectrum of factors that influence H. pylori infection should enable the early identification of individuals at increased risk for malignant transformation. If necessary, the results can be used to develop prophylactic interventions or therapies for H. pylori infection, in addition to diagnostic strategies.
Aims of the working group
In a prospectively collected cohort, H. pylori infected probands will be identified and thoroughly examined. In addition to microbiological, genetic, and laboratory chemical examinations of obtained biopsies, microbiome and virome analyses will be carried out to provide information on:
- bacterial characteristics,
- primary resistance to commonly used antibiotics for eradicating this bacterium,
- host-specific mucosal immune responses in different ecological niches of the stomach and stages of infection,
- the mucosal microbiome in correlation to gastric mucosal damage; and
- the evaluation of a non-invasive serological test panel will be conducted to assess the risk of precancerous stomach lesions using metabolome and lipidome signatures.
