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We study and use microbes

BIOLOGY

We study the physiology, genetics, evolution and ecology of both benign and pathogenic microbes

MODELS

We unravel general biological mechanisms and systems using microbes as models

APPLICATIONS

From new antibiotics to probiotics, we pursue industrial and clinical applications of microbial communities

From antibiotics to biofuel and chocolate

We develop and use state-of-the-art technologies to generate superior microbes for use in medical, industrial, environmental and food applications. We work with industrial partners to develop tailor-made solutions, from microbial cell factories and precision fermentation for production of pharmaceuticals, food additives, bioplastics, biofuels and aroma compounds to generating novel probiotics and better microbes for beer, wine, bread and chocolate production.

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Welcome to our research center

Join us on a tour of our labs and learn more about the impact of our work.

Meet our teams

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Prof. Joleen Masschelein

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The Laboratory for Biomolecular Discovery & Engineering

We explore the biosynthetic creativity of microorganisms

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Jan Michiels

Prof. Jan Michiels

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Symbiotic and Pathogenic Interaction group

We study bacterial survival under stress conditions

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Sammy Pontrelli

Prof. Sammy Pontrelli

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Lab of Microbial Metabolic Interactions

We use high-throughput metabolomics to study microbe-mediated carbon sequestration in the ocean

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Jeroen Raes

Prof. Jeroen Raes

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Bioinformatics and (eco)systems biology

We combine next-generation sequencing and computational approaches to investigate the human microbiome

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Kevin Verstrepen

Prof. Kevin Verstrepen

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Lab for Systems Biology

We study eukaryotic genetics and superior industrial yeasts

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Sibylle Vonesch

Prof. Sibylle Vonesch

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Genome Editing & Systems Genetics

We study and apply precision genome engineering in microbes

We are supported by