
© Heiko Barg
A04: Molecular signatures underlying gut-liver crosstalk in health and disease
The portal vein connects gut and liver, and mediators entering the portal vein have far-reaching consequences on liver function.
In this project we will:
- employ non-targeted proteomics and targeted metabolomics to identify mediators of gut-liver crosstalk in portal vein blood
- align these molecular signatures with clinical imaging and radiomic signatures of gut barrier integrity and liver health
- perform bioassays to define their functional significance
- identify distinct mediators of the gut-liver axis in systemic circulation
Combined, we will identify and characterize novel mediators to better understand and diagnostically assess clinically relevant changes within the human gut-liver axis.
Mass spectrometric analysis of plasma samples
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of liver and gut