Research Wenke Smets

Abstract

The rapid urbanization of our planet is linked to a dramatic increase in the prevalence of immune-disorder diseases. The Old Friends and Biodiversity Hypotheses position microbial ecology as a central actor influencing human health, emphasizing the need of contact with biodiverse microbial communities that humans co-evolved with to have a well-functioning immune system. Urban green areas (UGAs) could provide these microbial communities if properly designed and managed, as per the Microbiome Rewilding Hypothesis. Whilst these hypotheses are widely accepted, little is known about specific taxa capable of transferring from the environment to humans and having a positive effect on the immune system. In this project, we aim to investigate how exposure to UGAs mediates the transfer of potentially beneficial bacteria from the environment to human skin and nasal microbiomes, and the possible impact of this transfer on human immune pathways. For this, we will use a highly original and extensive methodology that will cover three key aspects of this transfer by (1) exploring the bacterial ecology of UGAs and gaining insight into optimal UGA design, (2) identifying specific bacterial taxa capable of transferring from UGAs to humans, and (3) experimentally characterizing the immune and other benefits of these bacteria in human cells. With this project we will contribute to sustainable and resilient urban development and pave the way for reduction of public health costs in urban areas.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Samson Roeland
• Promoter: Spacova Irina
• Co-promoter: Samson Roeland
• Co-promoter: Smets Wenke
• Co-promoter: Spacova Irina
• Fellow: Santullo Agustina

Research team(s)

• Biobased sustainability engineering (SUSTAIN)
• Laboratory of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (LAMB)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The indoor environment contains up to five times higher concentrations of air pollutants than outdoors. People spend > 90% of their time indoors, where a group of pollutants "volatile organic compounds" (VOCs) is of concern since even low concentrations are detrimental to our health. Their traditional treatment involves techniques that demand high energy consumption, generate by-products, and do not degrade VOCs. Hence, a shift to more sustainable technologies is required. Biofiltration allows the biodegradation of VOCs by employing microorganisms. Our project merges biofiltration with phytoremediation, translating it into a botanical biofilter (BB). A consists of a substrate and botanical compartment with bacteria that grant more degradation mechanisms, making it more robust. Nevertheless, research is limited in this field, and disparities exist regarding BB's design, operation, and efficiency. Furthermore, clear relationships between a BB and an indoor environment are absent, limiting the spread of the technology. Our study will overcome the discrepancies by combining experiments, modeling, and coworking with the indoor air and green wall sectors. (i) BB systems will be acclimated and bioaugmented; (ii) their VOC removal capacity will be evaluated; and (iii) a comprehensive multiphysics model will be developed to optimize the technology. Finally, (iv) BB will be tested in indoor settings to create a knowledge platform to position BB in the indoor air purification sector.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Denys Siegfried
• Co-promoter: Smets Wenke
• Fellow: Alvarado Alvarado Allan

Research team(s)

• Antwerp engineering, PhotoElectroChemistry & Sensing (A-PECS)

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

Often a microbiome modification with a "beneficial" microbe does not yield the desired results. This illustrates the need of better tools to study the ecology and evolution of microbiomes, and the effects of artificial modifications to these microbiomes. This project proposes the innovative approach of combining synthetic microbial communities with shallow shotgun metagenomics to gain unprecedented understanding in microbial communities in general. The proposed approach will be developed for a phyllosphere model and used for experimental microbial evolution of whole communities. Successive passaging experiments will be set up where synthetic phyllosphere communities will be moved from one generation of host plant to the next. The results of these experiments will lead to new insights in the ecology and evolution of phyllosphere communities. This project aims at setting up this approach to be more widely useable for testing existing and developing new evolutionary theories. Finally, the impact of the addition of a "beneficial" microbial strain to the phyllosphere model will be studied at the level of the microbiome ecology and evolution, allowing novel insight in long-term effects of artificial modifications of our microbial environment.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Lebeer Sarah
• Fellow: Smets Wenke

Research team(s)

• Laboratory of Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (LAMB)

Project type(s)

• Research Project