Email: tom.vandewiele@ugent.be
The core expertise of Host Microbe Interaction Technology group is the creation and application of in vitro enabling technologies that mimic the host-microbe interphase with particular focus on mucosal microenvironments. Model systems such as M-SHIME (a mucosa containing dynamic gut model) can be used to generate mechanistic insight in host-microbe interactions and complement in vivo observations. This is particularly important to increase our understanding of how the microbiome can modulate host health, either through production of specific metabolites, establishing colonization resistance against pathogens, modulating immunity, triggering local inflammation etc... Such dynamic human gut models allow the screening of a wide variety of candidate drugs, functional foods and/or feeds before a more narrow selection enters the stage of in vivo trials. The research of Tom Van de Wiele has resulted in a scientific output of more than 230 peer-reviewed international publications and the participation as invited and keynote speaker in many international conferences.