Nutritional systems biology of the intestine as gatekeeper
As port d’entree of nutrients, the intestine plays a pivotal role in maintenance of nutrient homeostasis. In turn, dietary composition has a major influence on the overall health and functioning of the gastro-intestinal tract.
The work in our group within the Division of Human Nutrition and Health concentrates on the molecular effects of nutrition in the small intestine and colon, the underlying mechanisms that mediate these effects, and the modulatory role of nutrition in determining the composition and activity of the microbiome. Ultimately, studies are aimed at understanding how these direct and indirect effects of nutrition contribute to the balance between (metabolic) health and disease.
In our research we use high throughput, information-dense omics technologies in combination with experiments in suitable models (e.g. cell, animal, and human models). A unique expertise is the biological interpretation of complex nutrigenomics datasets. By integrating multi-omics data sets with functional measurements, novel biological insights is gained into the molecular effects of nutrients.