Supervisors: Dr. Thi Thu Hao Van, Dr. Daniel Dias, Dr. Josep Mª Del Bas and Dr. Jordi Mayneris Perxachs.
Project 1: Understanding the role of gut-brain axis
Information from large-scale human cohorts (n=300 and n=1030) with a wide range of age (from 23 to 99 years old) already characterized and to be further characterized by omics profiling will be used to study metabolic pathways affected by ageing, with special attention on gut microbiome. Results will be translated to preclinical models by means of xenotransplantation or targeted microbiota manipulation to underscore the molecular mechanisms linking microbiome ageing with alterations in key overarching physiological processes that take place during the ageing process. Information obtained from these approaches by next generation sequencing and downstream RNA-seq, metagenomics, and genomic bioinformatics analysis will be further used to isolate and characterize new probiotics against ageing-related diseases.
Project 2: Role of microbiota to improve nutritional strategies for a healthier ageing
Information from large-scale human cohorts (n=300 and n=1030) with a wide range of age (from 23 to 99 years old) already characterized and to be further characterized by omics profiling will be used to study metabolic pathways affected by ageing, with special attention on gut microbiome. The information provided by these analyses will be further used in preclinical models of ageing to identify and design new oral treatments, including probiotics, postbiotics, or other nutritional and pharmacological approaches, targeting gut microbiota to restore physiological processes that are dysregulated during the ageing process.
Project 3: Omics-based approach for understanding ageing
Information from large-scale human cohorts (n=300 and n=1030) with a wide range of age (from 23 to 99 years old) already characterized and to be further characterized by omics profiling will be used to discover associations between gut microbiome, metabolic elements of the gut-brain axis, and cognitive decline. Key elements of the microbiome affected by ageing will be studied in preclinical models to underscore the alterations on the gut-brain axis involved in ageing-related cognitive decline. Information obtained from these approaches by next generation sequencing and downstream RNA-seq, metagenomics, and genomic bioinformatics analysis will be further used to isolate and characterize new psycho-biotics against cognitive and behavioral alterations associated with ageing.
