EXC 2051:  Balance of the Microverse

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology ; Biological Chemistry and Food Chemistry ; Basic Research in Biology and Medicine ; Medicine ; Molecular Chemistry ; Optics, Quantum Optics and Physics of Atoms, Molecules and Plasmas ; Physical Chemistry ; Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics ; Water Research
• Term: since 2019
• Website: Homepage
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 390713860

The health and well-being of humans, animals and plants, and a stable climate, are major concerns of our time. Given the global scale of these concerns, it is striking that the functioning of all ecosystems on Earth depends critically on finely balanced interactions among microorganisms thriving in interconnected habitats like soil, water, and the human body. The balance of these microbiomes is constantly challenged by environmental and anthropogenic disturbances, leading to ecosystem degradation, severe crop losses, or disease. Current therapeutics often target symptoms rather than root causes, using disruptive agents like non-specific antibiotics that can worsen conditions. Although these issues are of utmost societal importance, there is a critical gap in our knowledge of the molecular factors that control microbiome dynamics. In a highly multidisciplinary approach, the Microverse Cluster explores the intricate web of microbial interactions that sustain life on Earth, uniquely transferring ecological concepts to medicine with the goal of targeted interventions. In the first funding period, we identified chemical mediators and their modifications in complex microbial communities. To probe and visualize microbial interactions in space and time, we developed platform technologies including microfluidics, high-throughput automated robotics, and multimodal imaging facilities. By comparing ecologically and medically relevant systems, we have uncovered common principles driving microbial balance and resilience. Our important findings that chemical mediators (signals) control microbiome structure and transitions between alternate states have shaped the research strategy for the second funding period. Building on this, we will explore selected model systems at different levels of complexity and scales, from the molecular level to the global microverse, and from ancient to recent times. By integrating the predictive power of data mining and high-end imaging techniques, we will identify key microbiome parameters that influence balance (microbiome resilience and tipping points). Through to the tremendous support of the university and the eight participating institutions, the Microverse Cluster has grown substantially. It now comprises about 70 senior and junior research groups including our four new Microverse professors, and has become a hub for microbiological research in Germany and beyond. From 2025, the centrally located Microverse building will house 10 research groups and the Imaging Center, further fostering interactions and user-centered technology developments. Our program has high translational potential, inspiring the development of much-needed microbiome-targeted interventions. Together we will address global challenges and provide unparalleled opportunities for the next generation of scientists.

• DFG Programme: Clusters of Excellence (ExStra)
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena
• Participating Institution: Leibniz-Institut für Alternsforschung - Fritz-Lipmann-Institut e.V. (FLI); Leibniz-Institut für Naturstoff-Forschung und Infektionsbiologie e.V.; Hans-Knöll-Institut (HKI); Leibniz-Institut für Photonische Technologien e.V. (IPHT); Max-Planck-Institut für Biogeochemie (MPI-BGC); Max-Planck-Institut für Chemische Ökologie; Beutenberg Campus; Max-Planck-Institut für Geoanthropologie; Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie (MPI EVA)
• Spokesperson: Professorin Dr. Kirsten Küsel
• Participating Researchers: Professorin Dr. Miriam Agler-Rosenbaum; Professorin Dr. Rosalind Allen; Professor Dr. Michael Bauer; Professor Dr. Axel Brakhage; Professorin Sarah Ellen O' Connor, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Diana Dudziak; Professor Dr. Bas E. Dutilh; Professor Dr. Christian Eggeling; Professor Dr. Marc Thilo Figge; Professorin Dr. Ute Hellmich; Professor Dr. Christian Hertweck; Professor Dr. Bernhard Hube; Professorin Dr. Manja Marz; Professorin Dr. Maria Mittag; Professor Dr. Alexander Mosig, Ph.D.; Professor Gianni Panagiotou, Ph.D.; Professor Dr. Kai Papenfort; Professor Dr. Georg Pohnert; Professor Dr. Jürgen Popp; Professor Dr. Pierre Stallforth; Professor Dr. Christoph Steinbeck; Professor Dario Riccardo Valenzano, Ph.D.; Professorin Dr. Christina Warinner; Professorin Dr. Ricarda Winkelmann