RTF V: Clinical and Nutritional Metabolomics

Coordinators: M. Laudes (CAU), K. Schwarz (CAU), A. Tholey (CAU), S. Waschina (CAU)

RTF V studies the metabolic exchange (co-metabolism) between host and microbiome, i.e. all the micro-organisms in the body, in inflammatory diseases. It considers the questions of what contribution the microbiome makes to the metabolism and how metabolic products, what is known as the metabolome, and the microbiome can be changed by one another. The aim here is to identify biomarkers for successful treatments and individual responses to pharmaceutical and dietary interventions.

For this purpose, RTF V is developing new methods of analyzing the metabolome and the proteome and is making advances in models for co-metabolism and miniaturization of analytical systems for the metabolome and proteome including immunogenic peptides. It is using biosamples to generate organoids and perform fermentations as “clinical trials in a dish”. It is also developing bioinformatic prediction models for metabolic performance and the co-metabolism of host and microbiome as well as routines for knowledge-based evaluation.