Metabolic Engineering probiotischer Bakterien zur Kontrolle des Mikrobioms und zur Bekämpfung von Infektionen

01.08.2026 bis 31.07.2028

The project aims at targeted nutrient control in microbiomes with three work packages: (1) use the group's high-throughput metabolomics to map which sugars and glycans are available in gut and nasal microbiomes; (2) "sugar capture" where we engineer bacteria to take up specific sugars and lock them into inert biopolymer stores, permanently depriving pathogens of those nutrients; and (3) engineer E. coli to produce metabolites that tip the microbiome toward protective commensals. Together these form a cycle from metabolomics-based nutrient identification to engineered production or removal of those nutrients, validated in microbiome models.