Host-microbe Interactions

The Microbial Factories Within Us

We often talk about a “gut feeling” when we meet someone for the first time and we are told to “trust our gut instinct” when taking a difficult decision. This is not just metaphorical but there is science behind.

The gut can tell the brain all what happens in the body. That is why the gut and brain are connected by an extensive network of neurons and a highway of chemicals and hormones

As bacteria in our gut process the food we eat, and medication we ingest, they produce a huge number of chemicals, some of which remain in the gut to affect gut motility, others end up in the blood stream and circulate to the brain and potentially affect brain function.

We study what chemicals are produced by gut bacteria, why the bacteria produce them and whether they affect our health or can even interfere with the medication we take. Our work brings us closer to improve the state of our microbiota through healthy food, which may ultimately improve our (mental) wellbeing.

Please visit our website El Aidy Lab.