Work Package 4

Microbiome modulation in vitro

General aim

To develop and validate in vitro models for Host-Microbiome Interactions (HMI) that can be used to predict the impact of interventions on the physiological balance between the host and its microbes in the oral cavity and in the gut as the key arena’s for the interplay between the host, its microbiome and diet.

Objectives

To develop an oral and a gut HMI model that allow analysis of microbial and host-contributions to homeostasis and study mechanisms involved in maintaining homeostasis.
To describe the immune fitness in in vitro HMI models.
To evaluate the effect of microbially derived metabolites, most notably short chain fatty acids on the immune fitness in HMI models.
To study the role of known variations in dietary fibers, oligosaccharides, pre- and probiotics in the oral and gut HMI.
To assist in silico modeling (WP3) at different stages during the WP through iterative cycles of in vitro and in silico modeling of set variables.
To translate designated interventions (WP5) in testable variables in in vitro HMI models and predict their value in strengthening oral and gut homeostasis in the first 1000 days.
To disseminate achieved outputs during and at the end of the work package.

Active period

Year 3-8

Members of WP4

Bastiaan Krom

Leader WP4

Dongmei Deng

Stanley Brul

Jianbo Zhang

Meike Wortel

Coen Berns

Sofía Jiménez Ochoa

Aliki Antoniou

Applicants

ACTA, AUMC/Tytgat, WUR, UvA-SILS.

Cooperation partners/co-funders

NIBI, Bètapartners, BaseClear.

Progress

WP4 will start in 2025. The process for hiring personnel has been started. We will organise a kick-off meeting (April 15th) to realign the workpackage with the entire project and with the current state of science. Next, we will advertise the three PhD positions (1 shared with WP3) to attract scientific talent with the aim of starting the project January 1st 2025.