DigeST

Our research focuses on two research lines:

1. Impact of specialized nutrition on gut maturation in early life and later life gut health. Adverse (early life) events such as stress, antibiotic use and undernutrition not only directly impact gut and gut-brain functioning, but also can lead to long-term effects and well-being. Specialized nutrition impacts the gut barrier and epithelial defense under these challenged and unchallenged conditions. In the current projects, the impact of specialized nutrition on gut maturation, permeability and defense is studied in human neonatal mouse models and human neonatal organoid cell cultures. By this approach we aim to 1) obtain mechanistic insight into the impact of nutritional concepts on gut maturation/permeability and gut health during later life and 2) identify biomarkers for healthy gut maturation and gut health in general.

2. Understanding the mechanisms of gut regeneration and how these are recapitulated during the development of colorectal cancer. Making use of various epithelial damage models, transgenic mice and organoid cultures, current research focuses on Arginine biosynthesis pathway deregulation in cancer and epithelial regeneration.

Team leader

Vanesa Muncan

Assistant Professor

Team members

Sarah Ouahoud
Postdoctoral Researcher

Francesca Giugliano
PhD Student

Sander Meisner
Research Analyst

Jacqueline Vermeulen
Research Analyst

Kelly van Wijnbergen
Student

Publications

• A Human 2D Primary Organoid-Derived Epithelial Monolayer Model to Study Host-Pathogen Interaction in the Small Intestine
  Gut organoids are stem cell derived 3D models of the…   »
• A Novel Organoid Model of Damage and Repair Identifies HNF4α as a Critical Regulator of Intestinal Epithelial Regeneration
  Background & aims: Recent evidence has suggested that the intact…   »
• ATF2 and ATF7 Are Critical Mediators of Intestinal Epithelial Repair
  Background & Aims Activation factor-1 transcription factor family members activating…   »
• Mouse fetal intestinal organoids: new model to study epithelial maturation from suckling to weaning
  During the suckling-to-weaning transition, the intestinal epithelium matures, allowing digestion…   »
• Blimp1 regulates the transition of neonatal to adult intestinal epithelium
  In many mammalian species, the intestinal epithelium undergoes major changes…   »

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