Dr. Dorothée Berthold

In my research I aim to develop an in vitro intestinal model to interrogate bacterial-bacterial interaction and cross-feeding mechanisms using various metabolomic approaches. The intestinal microbial community is a complex ecosystem that plays a critical role in host health and disease. Metabolomics is a powerful approach used to study the metabolic activity of the microbial community and its interaction with the host. Recent research has demonstrated the importance of specific metabolites produced by the microbial community in shaping host physiology and contributing to disease development. For example, dysbiosis of the microbial community has been linked to various diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, and metabolic disorders. Understanding the interplay between members of the microbial community at the molecular level through metabolomics can inform the development of targeted interventions to promote health and treat disease.

I joined the Sauer lab in April 2023 with the goal to utilize metabolomics to examine bacterial communities in vitro and in vivo. Before returning to Zurich, I obtained my PhD under the supervision of Prof. Irina Udalova and Prof. Fiona Powrie at the University of Oxford. My project was focused on understanding the interplay of neutrophils and the microbiome at the onset of intestinal inflammation by modulating neutrophil activation through transcription-factor knockouts.