LIH doctoral training supported by 2023 FNR PRIDE Call

Two new Doctoral Training Units on microbiome and environmental exposure selected for funding

• Doctoral Training
• Xpose DTU
• Nutrition, Microbiome and Immunity
• Human Biomonitoring Research Unit
• PhD Candidates

A total of 8 Doctoral Training Units (DTUs) were selected for funding under the 2023 PRIDE Call of the Luxembourg National Research Fund (FNR), amounting to 68 PhD grants. Of these, the two new DTUs involving the LIH will explore the links between the human microbiome and chronic diseases, as well as the impact of environmental exposures on health and disease.

Specifically, the MICRO-PATH (Pathogenesis In The Age Of The Microbiome) DTU will address the microbiome-driven impacts of environmental, lifestyle, and socio-economic factors on disease mechanisms. As a joint initiative between the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), the University of Luxembourg, the LIH and the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), the new DTU will leverage Luxembourg’s world-leading expertise in microbiology, immunology, systems biology and microbial pathogenesis to better understand how microbial features contribute to diseases such as Alzheimer’s, food allergy, colorectal cancer, and metabolic syndrome. Doctoral candidates in the MICRO-PATH DTU will work on both human cohort studies and mouse models to identify and verify microbiome-associated features that may be causal in disease pathogenesis. Advanced methodologies such as mass spectrometry and in silico techniques will be used to discover novel microbial biomolecules with pathogenic potential.

By integrating different scientific disciplines and taking advantage of the state-of-the-art research infrastructure, we are creating a robust framework that can yield significant insights and innovations in microbiome research. This will not only advance our understanding but also potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies,

says Prof. Mahesh Desai, co-coordinator of the DTU and leader of the Nutrition, Microbiome and Immunity group at the LIH Department of Infection and Immunity (DII).

By linking chronic disease research with microbiome studies, the programme aims to create a unique research environment in which young researchers can create impact for patients. Ensuring a good research culture is an important factor of this environment, explains project manager Dr Cedric Laczny: “This DTU will holistically approach doctoral training and education by familiarising PhD candidates not only with cutting-edge science thereby leading to research proficiency, job readiness, and employability, but also by paying close attention to self-care, self-awareness, and wellbeing”. The DTU, coordinated by Prof Paul Wilmes at the LCSB/University, comprises 16 PhD positions over the course of 6 years.

XPOSE (Exposome And Health: Navigating Complexity With Innovation), coordinated by Dr Brice Appenzeller of the Human Biomonitoring Research Unit (HBRU) at the LIH Department of Precision Health (DoPH), will explore how the “exposome”, i.e. the entire spectrum of environmental exposures, including lifestyle and other non-genetic factors, can interact with human biology to trigger the onset of disease. To this end, the DTU will bring together experts from Luxembourg and connect with ongoing large European initiatives on exposome research, taking advantage of new technological developments such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, in order to develop novel methodologies to analyse the impact of environmental, chemical, nutritional, social, and lifestyle-related exposures on health. “The DTU will train a new generation of exposome scientists who will be able to work across different fields and to navigate and generate relevant knowledge in fast-evolving and data-rich environments”, says Dr Appenzeller.

Ultimately, the Xpose DTU aims to make our lives healthier and more resilient by understanding the exposome and using that knowledge to shape future evidenced-informed policies, interventions and treatments,

he concludes.