Microbial Sciences
In Microbial Sciences, we perform multidisciplinary research to understand the structure and function of microbes at all levels of biological organization, from small molecules and cellular structures at atomic resolution to multicellular communities.
We investigate how microbes sense and respond to their environment and interact with other organisms, and harness Nature's Biodiversity to discover novel bioactive molecules and enzymes, which find application in the clinical trajectory and in biotechnology.
Microbial Sciences contributes to the IBL research themes in the following ways:
Bioactive molecules
Discover new bioactive molecules and enzymes and unravel their mechanisms of action, regulatory networks, and the (bio)synthetic pathways required for their production.
Development & Disease
Unravel the processes that control cellular morphogenesis, growth, development and virulence, and visualise cellular structures and components from cellular level to atomic detail.
Evolution & Biodiversity
Understand how diversity and evolution are influenced by cooperative and antagonistic interactions taking place between microbes.
Host-Microbe Interactions
Dissect how microorganisms and microbial communities interact with eukaryotic hosts and how these insights may be harnessed to improve the health of the host.
Coordinator: Prof. Dr. D. Claessen (Dennis)
