Prof. Nathalie Juge

Deputy Head of Gut Microbes & Health ISP

The mucus-associated microbiota plays a predominant role in human health. We are studying how bacteria interact with mucins and their associated glycans at the mucosal surface, how mucus-associated bacteria communicate with the host and respond to changes in the physiological status of the host. Importantly, several conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC) are associated with alterations in mucus-associated bacteria and mucin glycosylation, so the mechanistic knowledge we are gaining from our research can be of use for designing new biomarkers of disease and developing microbial and nutritional strategies to restore health. Current projects in the group investigate:

• The changes in mucin glycosylation and mucus-associated bacteria in health (across lifetime) and disease (IBD and CRC)
• The role of mucin glycan – lectin interactions in cancer
• The modulation of gut barrier function using gut organoid-on-chip systems
• The mechanisms underpinning the adaptation and communication between mucus-colonising bacteria and the host immune system

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