Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic relapsing inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. Although their etiology remains unclear, gut microbiota are key determinants of disease onset, progression, therapeutic response, remission, and relapse. Beyond bacteria, fungi, helminths, and protozoa – largely absent in conventional laboratory mice and present in humans and wildlings – also exert important immunomodulatory effects. We previously showed that wildling mice with complex natural microbiota closely mirror human immunity and predict immunotherapeutic outcomes. Preliminary data show marked differences from laboratory mice in microbiome composition, metabolite profiles, mucosal immunity, epithelial barrier function, and colitogenic CD4+ T-cell activity. We will combine wildlings with colitis and immunotherapy models to define microbiota-mediated mechanisms regulating inflammation, barrier defense, and treatment efficacy, aiming to identify translatable microbiota-based therapies for IBD.
Principal Investigators
Prof. Dr. med. Stephan Rosshart