Public outreach

Gut bacteria are central to human health by regulating multiple functions, producing essential metabolites, and protecting against pathogen invasion. Conversely, changes in their community composition are associated with several diseases and conditions like stunting, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer (CRC), graft versus host disease (GVHD), and much more. Likely, these bacteria are amenable to external perturbations. However, nonspecific changes can cause unpredicted long-term consequences. Bacteriophages or phages' high level of specificity, which reduces the risk of damaging these communities, suggest them as the right tools for safe manipulation of gut bacteria.

In contrast to the classical approaches, the Deng lab uses single-cell technologies, multi-omics, culture-independent techniques, and machine learning to isolate novel phages, develop phage-based therapeutics, and understand the underlying mechanisms of phage-host interactions and their impact on the human host (https://web.med.tum.de/en/virologie/research-groups-tum/li-deng/). They apply the knowledge gained for targeting pathogenic bacteria (https://www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/news/corona-virus-epidemic-and-helmholtz-zentrum-muenchen/fightcovidhmgu/therapeutics/index.html)and ameliorating disease severity by restoring healthy microbiota in multiple diseases or conditions like stunting, IBD, CRC, and GVHD (https://www.helmholtz-munich.de/en/aktuelles/latest-news/press-information-news/article/48128/index.html).

To facilitate the acceptance of phage therapy, which uses phages to target pathogenic bacteria, in Germany, the Deng lab has developed highly efficient phage cocktails against Acinetobacter baumanii, Pseudomonas aeroginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Staphylococcus aureus. In addition, they are co-organizing the first strategic DZIF Meeting on July 11-12 (https://www.dzif.de/en/event/bacteriophages-science-and-clinical-use) to increase collaborations between scientists and physicians toward defining a roadmap for future translational phage research in Germany. We also have launched a Special Issue in Viruses entitled Phage–Host Interactions: From Communities to Single Particles (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/viruses/special_issues/phage_communities_particles). 

In the podcast "Das Gastroenterologische Quartett" Prof. Dirk Haller talks about microbiome analysis in medical consultation, healthy and morbid microbiome, interactions with our brain and the state-of-the-art of microbiome functionality. PD Dr. med. Irina Blumenstein, Prof. Dr. med. Axel Dignaß and Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Schreiber question him on the role of the microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease, the effectiveness of probiotics and fecal transplantation.

Dr. Monica Yabal, research group leader at the Institute of Molecular Immunology and Postdoc in P02 discovered with her team have how inflammatory bowel disease leads to a chain reaction that upsets the gut microbiome.

Chronic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is becoming increasingly widespread. Until now, however, the underlying causes of the inflammation responses were unclear. Monica Yabal and team have now identified a mechanism that triggers a problematic interaction between intestinal bacteria and cells in the intestinal mucus layer in XLP2, a condition associated with IBD. The scientists believe that the results can be applied to other intestinal diseases and could offer approaches to the development of new drugs

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The press is currently dominated by articles about viruses that turn our everyday lives upside down. However, the new Pharmakon of the German Pharmaceutical Society (Deutsche Pharmazeutische Gesellschaft) is dedicated to a very special group of viruses, the bacteriophages (phages), which are promising candidates for the effective treatment of bacterial infections. Phages can eliminate bacteria through targeted lysis and are potential assistants in the fight against the growing antibiotic multiresistance crisis. We are delighted that, in addition to representatives from BfArM, Fraunhofer Institute, and DZIF, our Junior Scientist Dr. Silvia Würstle also contributed to this Pharmakon on phages in research and application.

Read more here.

Researchers from Dresden identify a pathway critical for preventing intestinal inflammation that responds to therapeutic intervention.

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Pint of Science is an international organization that brings brilliant scientists to their local pub to discuss their latest research and findings with interested people. The audience doesn't need any previous knowledge, because the lectures from the world of science at a Pint of Science event are generally understandable. For young and old, the talks offer a great chance to meet (and have a "pint" with) the people responsible for the future of science. The festival runs over a couple of days in May each year. This year, due to the Corona pandemic, the events, which run in various cities, are being held online for the second time.

Complex networks of bacteria and metabolites - substances converted in biological metabolism - represent biochemical fingerprints of the interactions between host and gut microbiota. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have shown that these interactions trigger aberrant immune responses in Crohn's disease patients and cause functional changes in the gut during the onset of a disease flare.