“The majority of the bacteria in the gut have never been studied before. We’re now starting to understand the impact of our intestinal microbiota on health and disease.”
Research focus: intestinal microbiota, influence of bacterial species in the intestines on diseases
Marcel de Zoete is Associate Professor of Host-Microbiota Interactions at the Department of Medical Microbiology at Utrecht University Medical Centre. He is also one of the principal investigators of the Utrecht Exposome Hub. His research focuses on intestinal microbiota, which plays a key role in the development of various diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
There are hundreds of different types of bacteria active in the intestine, but the exact composition differs from person to person. Marcel de Zoete searches with his research group for the specific species that can make someone susceptible to intestinal diseases. The majority of these intestinal diseases are suspected to be driven by only a limited number of 'pathogenic' commensals, which often live deep in the intestinal mucus layer in close proximity to or attached to so-called intestinal epithelial cells. These bacterial species are often called 'pathogenic' commensals. The interactions of pathobionts with the host epithelium and the immune system are still largely unclear, but it is assumed that they play a decisive role in the development of diseases. The research focus of the group is therefore to:
- Reveal and characterize pathhobionts within the intestinal microbiota;
- Better understand molecular mechanisms behind pathological host-microbiota interactions;
- Develop and test putative therapeutic approaches
Areas of interest:
- Intestinal microbiota
- Bowel diseases and their prevention
- Pathobiones
- Bacteria in the gut
- Molecular mechanisms and interactions in the intestines