📋 Tender Overview
Systematic Triangulation Of Pathobiont-Host-Interactions
Funded Under
European Research Council (Erc)
Total Cost
€ 1 993 688,00
Eu Contribution
€ 1 993 688,00
Coordinated By
Eberhard Karls Universitaet Tuebingen
Germany
Objective
Rising incidences of chronic disorders and cancer have been linked to reduced microbial diversity. Genetic risk factors are similarly involved in the development of chronic disorders and cancer. The effect of both microbial and genetic factors is particularly evident in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the identification of specific bacteria that trigger/drive disease or modulate therapy efficacy in IBD and CRC lacks a comprehensive approach. Even less is known about how these bacteria mechanistically induce such effects. The paucity of so far identified disease relevant bacteria and their mode of action, likely lies in the complexity of both the microbiome and the host’s genetic risk factors. We hypothesize that specific bacteria, which do not harm the host under steady state conditions, hijack host pathways in the presence of certain genetic risk factors to drive inflammation, onset and progression of IBD and CRC. We speculate that these bacteria, termed pathobionts, have so far been overlooked due to a lack of methods to triangulate these disease relevant bacteria in multi-factorial disorders like IBD and CRC.
