Kai Markus Schneider Group
Experimental Gastroenterology and Organ Crosstalk
The scientific focus of Prof. Schneider’s group is in the field of molecular gastroenterology and hepatology, in particular the molecular circuitry of cellular and inter-organ communication. Using recent breakthroughs in functional genomics, metabolomics and computational biology, we focus on understanding the interactions between the gut, microbiome, liver and nervous system and how these influence disease processes. We are investigating how neuroimmune signals drive the development of chronic inflammation and how the nervous and immune systems interact in this context.
A key example is our work on the relationship between psychological stress and the enteric nervous system. In this study, we uncovered a previously unknown molecular mechanism by which psychological stress amplifies inflammatory responses in inflammatory bowel disease. In addition, we identified a novel glial cell population that promotes inflammation through its interaction with monocytes.
In recent years, our research has also contributed significantly to the understanding of the gut-liver axis, demonstrating the close link between liver disease and alterations in the gut environment. We aim to identify new therapeutic targets using modern omics approaches, advanced imaging strategies and bioinformatics analysis, for example by studying the nervous system and neuro-immune interactions at the single cell level. Furthermore, we are also applying neuroscience techniques to the gastrointestinal tract. Using chemogenetics, we can selectively activate or inhibit specific neuronal populations to gain mechanistic insights into neuro-immune interactions.
Future Projects and Goals
Many of our projects are inspired by clinical challenges and unmet needs and are designed to provide new mechanistic insights and therapeutic approaches. To this end, our research includes analyses of both large clinical datasets (e.g. UK Biobank, Penn Medicine Biobank, All of Us) and human tissue samples, as well as experimental studies using in-vivo and in-vitro models.
Methodological and Technical Expertise
- Experimental models of disease
- HCC/CCA Models
- Models of cholestatic liver disease
- Metabolic dysfunction-associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD)
- Liver fibrosis models
- Acute/Chronic liver injury models
- Colitis Models
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics
- Microbiome analyses (16s gene amplicon & metagenomics)
- Confocal microscopy
- Intestinal whole mount
- Tissue clearing
- Flow cytometry analysis