This research line focuses on human gut microbiome dysbiosis related to disease, to find microbial biomarkers for disease prediction, diagnostics, and prognosis. The primary diseases in which we have focused to date are Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, colorectal cancer, and type 2 diabetes. This research includes the characterization of the microbial communities by deep sequencing, the validation of the hypothesis originated using accurate quantitative methods (qPCR), and the design of molecular systems of assistance in clinical practice.

This research line is related to the investigation of mechanisms of pathogenicity involved in the Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli phenotype (AIEC). Some topics of interest are genomic and transcriptomics analyses and the study of particular mechanisms of virulence, such as the role of outer membrane vesicles. This line uses several models of infection to study the potential virulence of the AIEC pathotype. The ultimate purpose is to find genetic elements that could be used as molecular markers for the identification of the AIEC pathotype, as well as putative targets for treatments or prevention measures

Technological offer: Molecular markers for the identification of the pathotype "Adherent-invasive Escherichia Coli (AIEC)".