Empowering Microbiome Science: From Data Generation to Function Characterization

• Subject Area: Microbial Ecology and Applied Microbiology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 568759757

Microbiome research has undergone remarkable growth in biomedical studies, becoming one of the fastest-advancing areas of research. Given these herewith observed links between microbiome and (chronic) diseases, and the potential for targeted interventions, current research focus on understanding how signals from human-associated microorganisms influence the human immune responses and disease etiology. This knowledge holds promising implications for precision medicine efforts in the years ahead. Since its inception in 2014, the Microbiome Platform at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB) has been at the forefront of microbiome research. Leveraging standardized high-throughput methods, the Microbiome Platform has made substantial contributions, processing over 150,000 samples in collaboration with numerous research Institutes, resulting in more than 95 scientific papers. However, the application of sequencing-only strategies thus far has inherent limitations, leaving various "unknowns" to be addressed. Therefore, the current challenge in microbiome research is to transition from correlative or associative studies to more integrative functional investigations. In response, we propose enhancing the existing services of the Microbiome Platform by incorporating new methods, shared sample management, and bioinformatic analyses. Specifically, our goal is to integrate the presently available high-throughput methods, such as biobanking, sample preparation, nucleic acid extraction, and sequencing-based composition analyses, with the following approaches available at the newly established laboratory of Prof. Mathilde Poyet, equipped with cutting-edge technology: i) Culturing and whole genome sequencing-based identification of microbes within a given sample, providing insights into potential virulence factors and antibiotic resistances. ii) Building a strain collection of human-associated microbes, reconnected to the original samples within our database and biobank. iii) Determining the metabolic capabilities of isolated microbes and complex microbial communities. This proposed workflow addresses the challenge of transitioning to a more integrative microbiome research field, moving beyond correlative or associative studies to investigate the functional mechanisms underpinning microbial interactions. This knowledge is critical for understanding the role of microbial communities in human health, disease development, and potential therapeutic interventions. In addition, it enables a deeper scientific evaluation of further sample types such as environmental samples or animal derived samples from agricultural experiments, which are of great interest and importance for many ongoing studies focusing on the "One Health"-approach.

• DFG Programme: Core Facilities
• Applicant Institution: Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
• Leader: Dr. Corinna Bang
• Co-Investigator: Professorin Dr. Mathilde Poyet