Tom Van de Wiele
Prof. Dr. ir. Tom Van de Wiele’s primary research interests deal with the study of the human- or animal- associated microbiota, its metabolic potency, the interactions with the host and the development of methods to steer the microbiome in a health-promoting direction. Besides the microbial analysis from animal models or human intervention trials, the group of Prof. Dr. ir. Tom Van de Wiele has broad expertise in the in vitro simulation of gastrointestinal digestive, respiratory and skin processes as well as the mucosal microenvironment. This is particularly useful for studying food digestion and fermentation, microbiome dynamics in and on the host and the behavior of pathogens in different host microenvironments. Using different in vitro enabling technologies that closely mimic the host environment, a wide variety of candidate drugs, functional foods and/or dietary factors can be screened for their direct effect on host-derived microbiota. The in vitro technology also incorporates mucosal contact surfaces (M-SHIME) and epithelial cell structures (Host Microbe Interaction module), which allows for the study of microbe-host and pathogen-host interactions. Understanding the dynamics of the host-microbiome, its resilience against pathogen invasion and its interaction with the host, contributes to a sustainable maintenance of health status in humans, terrestrial and aquatic animal hosts and in animal production.
