Periodic Reporting for period 2 - WePredict (Microbiota and immune responses at weaning predict the susceptibility to chronic inflammatory diseases in adulthood)
Reporting period: 2023-03-01 to 2024-08-31
The expansion of microbiota during the weaning of infants following breast milk cessation generates an immune memory, which is important in preventing the development of allergies and chronic inflammatory diseases (such as obesity and inflammatory bowel diseases) later in life. We are studying how and why this is the case. The ERC-funded WePredict project focuses on investigation how microbial and nutritional signatures at weaning predict the susceptibility to develop chronic inflammatory pathologies. We are using high-throughput sequencing, machine-learning algorithms and special mouse models. The findings will shed light on the biological processes and define the microbial and nutritional signatures at weaning that predict the susceptibility to adult pathology
WePredict project aims to understand which and how intestinal bacteria lead to generation of immune memory during weaning that affect inflammatory bowel diseases and obesity in adult mice. We now have a full characterization of which immune cells are involved in generation of immune memory during weaning and their causal effect on susceptibility to develop colitis and obesity but we have not yet identified the beneficial microbiota and their mechanistic of action.
We would like now to determine which bacteria taxa upon weaning are required for immune memory generation using the high-throughput sequencing and machine-learning algorithms. We are also planing to link the microbial and dietary metabolites upon weaning that leads to either generation of healthy or pathological memory leading to prevention or promoting inflammatory immune responses. Inhibition of pathological memory in adult will be addressed using gnotobiotic mouse models.