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Romana Gerner - Clinical Microbiome
Research Focus
Our research investigates the functional and molecular interactions between the gut microbiome and the immune system in both health and disease. We aim to understand how commensal and pathogenic microbes shape mucosal immunity and their impact on the development and progression of inflammatory and malignant diseases.
A particular focus of our research is on the commensal Escherichia (E.) coli, a heterogeneous Gram-negative bacterium commonly found in the lower intestine. While E. coli plays a crucial role as gut symbiont, it also exhibits pathogenic potential and is a frequent cause of health complications, ranging from diarrheal illnesses to bloodstream infections and neonatal meningitis. E. coli is of particular concern for immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients, where it can cause life-threatening infections and is linked to the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases and colorectal cancer. Due to its medical relevance, we study the functional interactions of E. coli with the immune system in the context of early-life colonization and its impact on short- and long-term health.
By integrating basic and translational research, our goal is to enhance the clinical understanding of the microbiota and its role in health and disease and to develop microbiome-based therapeutical approaches. To address these challenges, we employ molecular biology and microbiology techniques along with preclinical and gnotobiology models. Findings from patient cohorts are validated and mechanistically dissected in these preclinical models.
Romana Gerner studied medicine at the Medical University of Innsbruck and later earned a PhD in Infectious Diseases and Immunology. Following three years as a resident in internal medicine at the University Hospital Innsbruck, she spent 4.5 years as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego, researching the impact of the microbiome on mucosal immunity and microbiome-based therapies for inflammatory bowel diseases. Since 2022, she has been pursuing her specialist training for hematology and oncology at the Klinikum rechts der Isar in the department of Florian Bassermann. In November 2023, she was appointed tenure-track Professor for Clinical Microbiome at the Technical University of Munich.
- Research fellowship Award, Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation New York (2020)
- Award for the best publication in 2017, Austrian Medical Association (2019)
- Erwin Wenzl Dissertation Award (2019)
- Wewalka Memorial Award for best publications relevant to Gastroenterology, ÖGGH (2018)
- Max Kade postdoctoral fellowship, Max Kade Foundation, New York (2018)
- MSD Award for research relevant to Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (2016)
- Sanofi Aventis Award for best publications of the year, Sanofi Aventis Austria (2016)
Czech M, Schneider S, Peltokangas N, El Khawanky N, Ghimire S, Andrieux G, Hülsdünker J, Krausz M, Proietti M, Braun LM, Rückert T, Langenbach M, Schmidt D, Martin I, Wenger V, de Vega E, Haring E, Pourjam M, Pfeifer D, Schmitt-Graeff A, Grimbacher B, Aumann K, Kircher B, Tilg H, Raffatellu M, Thiele Orberg E, Häcker G, Duyster J, Köhler N, Holler E, Nachbaur D, Boerries M, Gerner RR#, Grün D#, Zeiser R#. Lipocalin-2 expression identifies an intestinal regulatory neutrophil population during acute graft-versus-host disease. Sci Transl Med. 2024 Feb 21;16(735):eadi1501. # These authors contributed equally.
Gerner RR, Hossain S, Sargun A, Siada K, Norton GJ, Zheng T, Neumann W, Nuccio SP, Nolan EM, Raffatellu M. Siderophore Immunization Restricted Colonization of Adherent-Invasive Escherichia coli and Ameliorated Experimental Colitis. mBio. 2022 Oct 26;13(5):e0218422.
Mills RH, Dulai PS, Vázquez-Baeza Y, Sauceda C, Daniel N, Gerner RR, Batachari LE, Malfavon M, Zhu Q, Weldon K, Humphrey G, Carrillo-Terrazas M, Goldasich LD, Bryant M, Raffatellu M, Quinn RA, Gewirtz AT, Chassaing B, Chu H, Sandborn WJ, Dorrestein PC, Knight R, Gonzalez DJ. Multi-omics analyses of the ulcerative colitis gut microbiome link Bacteroides vulgatus proteases with disease severity. Nat Microbiol. 2022 Feb;7(2):262-276.
Gerner RR, Nuccio SP, Raffatellu M. Iron at the host-microbe interface. Mol Aspects Med. 2020 Oct;75:100895.
Gerner RR, Macheiner S, Reider S, Siegmund K, Grabherr F, Mayr L, Texler B, Moser P, Effenberger M, Schwaighofer H, Moschen AR, Kircher B, Oberacher H, Zeiser R, Tilg H, Nachbaur D. Targeting NAD immunometabolism limits severe graft-versus-host disease and has potent antileukemic activity. Leukemia. 2020 Jul;34(7):1885-1897.
Tilg H, Adolph TE, Gerner RR, Moschen AR. The Intestinal Microbiota in Colorectal Cancer. Cancer Cell. 2018 Jun 11;33(6):954-964.
Gerner RR, Klepsch V, Macheiner S, Arnhard K, Adolph TE, Grander C, Wieser V, Pfister A, Moser P, Hermann-Kleiter N, Baier G, Oberacher H, Tilg H, Moschen AR. NAD metabolism fuels human and mouse intestinal inflammation. Gut. 2018 Oct;67(10):1813-1823.
Moschen AR*, Gerner RR*, Wang J, Klepsch V, Adolph TE, Reider SJ, Hackl H, Pfister A, Schilling J, Moser PL, Kempster SL, Swidsinski A, Orth Höller D, Weiss G, Baines JF, Kaser A, Tilg H. Lipocalin 2 Protects from Inflammation and Tumorigenesis Associated with Gut Microbiota Alterations. Cell Host Microbe. 2016 Apr 13;19(4):455-69. * co-first authors.
Prof. Dr. med. Romana Gerner, PhD
Technical University of Munich
School of Medicine and Health
Clinic and Polyclinic for Internal Medicine III
School of Life Sciences
Ziel Institute for Food and Health
https://www.ziel.tum.de/ziel/arbeitsgruppen/clinical-microbiome/
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