Microbiota

The human intestinal microbiota is estimated to contain 400-1 000 different bacterial species, out-numbering the number of human cells by a factor of ten. The mucosa in the gut is the interface between the luminal environment, the blood stream and organs. Together the microbiota and the mucosa compile a complex community with important barrier functions that regulate bioavailability, process as well as transmit materials and signals from the lumen to the host. In collaboration with Professor Lars Engstrand, Swedish Institute for Infectious Disease Control, KI and Professor Janet Jansson, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, WA,  USA we have published a number of papers on the microbial composition in IBD, even when controlling for genetic predisposition. More recently we have characterized the dynamic of the gut micrbiome of IBD patients. In collaboration with Professor Johan Söderholm, Linköpings University we are exploring the interaction between microbiota and the mucosa, using the twin model.