Medical microbiome research

Guntram Graßl and his team study interactions between microbiomes and human hosts, as well as between microbiomes and bacterial pathogens in the gut. Scientists assume that certain bacteria or groups of bacteria protect the gut from pathogens by ensuring that Salmonella or Clostridioides difficile, for example, do not colonise the gut. In order to investigate these processes, researchers developed a mouse model, amongst other things, in which the process of gut inflammation can be studied. In addition, researchers work with so called “mini guts” or gut organoids, which are simplified tissue models that enable research to be conducted on the interactions between bacteria and patient tissue.