ARCTECH

(Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions)

Aim
ARCTECH proposes the first training initiative on archaea, aiming to foster the next generation of European visionaries in
‘fundamental archaeal research and their application in biotechnology’. The project will address key knowledge gaps and develop methods and technologies for archaeal research, which are needed to unleash the industrial potential that archaea
hold.

Involved team members
Luna Groon, Bhawna Arora

Cluster of Excellence: Microbiomes drive Planetary Health

(FWF COE 7, 2023-2028)

Our vision is to break down the walls between environmental (green) and medical (red) microbiome research in Austria and to cross-fertilize each other, resulting in enormous benefits across fields through new, unified conceptual advances and technological innovations.

Involved team members
Charlotte Neumann, Alexander Mahnert, Christina Kumpitsch,  Eliška Sedláčková 

RESPImmun

(FWF, 2021- 2025)

Our tasks

The goal is to understand the role of the human respiratory system microbiome in the context of lung diseases and immunomodulatory mechanisms. 

Involved team members
Tejus Shinde, Christina Kumpitsch 

SFB Immunometabolism

(FWF, 2020- 2024)

Our tasks
Understand role of archaea and their cells components, proteins and metabolites on macrophage activity
Understand the interplay of the human microbiome and macrophages; role of the mirobiome in cachexia

Involved team members
Torben Kühnast, Viktoria Weinberger

The mother-microbiome-child interaction

(funded by FWF TRAMIC, PI: E. Jantscher-Krenn)
 

The influence of hospital regimens on the development of the microbiomes of preterm-born, very-low-birthweight infants

(funded by FWF and other sources)

Our tasks
Understand the transfer of anaerobes to infants' microbiomes after vaginal/ C-section birth
Understand the impact of probiotics, antibiotics and feeding strategies in the early days of preterm gut development

Involved team members
Charlotte Neumann

Exploring the Cow-nection: How Methane-Producing Archaea Influence the Microbial Community in the Gut

(closed by FWF, but work continued)

Aim 

It’s not just cows that emit methane; also the human gut harbors methanogenic archaea that lead to methane emission, albeit not in comparable amounts. To date, it is still unclear whether methanogens in the gut have an impact on intestinal health and overall microbial composition. The aim of this project is to understand the microbial dynamics between the archaeal and bacterial communities in high and low methane emitters. 

Involved team members
Christina Kumpitsch, Alexander Mahnert