Microbiome and Respiratory Physiology

 The microbiota plays a critical role for human health and disease. However, how the host and microbiota interact and how this contributes to development of disease is still largely unknown.

The aim of our group is to identify and study the specific molecular mechanism by which microbes including commensal bacteria modulate host physiology and how this in turn impacts disease.

We are particularly interersted in pathologies that affect the respiratory tract including chronic lung diseases and the response to infection with lung pathogens. Our goal is to characterize the role of both the gut and lung-resident microbiota in controlling the host immune system and how this contributes to airway inflammation in different disease settings.

We employ state of the art OMICS methods to describe the complexity of the microbiota and its products and use advanced in vivo gnotobiotic mouse models as well as in vitro translational organoid system to establish the mechanistic and functional role of specific microbes in modulating respiratory physiology.

Our group is located on UZH Irchel Campus, Building Y23, K Floor.