News
23.09.2025
New publication in bioRxiv
Check out our new bioRxiv preprint where we investigated the role of bacterial oral-gut translocation in advanced chronic liver disease (ACLD)!
Using multi-omics data analyses from paired oral and gut samples, we showed that commensal oral bacteria, such as Veillonella and Streptococcus spp., are enriched in the gut of ACLD patients. Close-to-identical strains can be recovered from both body sites of individual patients. We identified a collagenase-like proteinase (prtC) that was uniquely shared by these translocating bacteria. This enzyme is typically not present in the gut microbiome and was linked to gut barrier disruption in ACLD patients. We demonstrated that prtC abundance is a robust biomarker for ACLD and validated the enzymatic function of the prtC from V. parvula . In addition, we demonstrated in vivo that prtC-encoding oral isolates from ACLD patients exacerbate gut barrier disruption and liver fibrosis in mice. Overall, this work highlights the oral–gut axis as an important factor in ACLD and opens up new avenues for microbial diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.
25.07.2025
Lab retreat 2025 - Raitenhaslach
Our annual lab retreat took place in Raitenhaslach this year, where we presented our newest research findings and discussed ideas for future projects. We also used the opportunity for various team activities and to explore the city!
08.07.2025
TUM@Freising
If you want to find out more about our research, come to the Lindenkeller in Freising on July 8 where Melanie will give a presentation as part of the TUM@Freising lecture series "Wissenschaft für alle". Her talk will focus on the role of the microbiome in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and provide an introduction on how we use big datasets to investigate small microbes.
If you missed the event, a video recording (in German) is available at: TUM@Freising
23.04.2025
MetaGEAR Web Platform
We are excited to announce the release of MetaGEAR (MetaGenomic Exploration And Research), a new web platform that facilitates the exploration of microbial gene functions in gastrointestinal diseases, specifically inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and colorectal cancer (CRC). By integrating extensive metagenomic data from over 9,000 human samples across diverse cohorts, MetaGEAR streamlines the identification and analysis of microbial gene targets. The platform supports user-friendly sequence and domain-based searches, providing interactive visualizations and rapid insights into gene abundance, taxonomy, and disease associations. MetaGEAR is freely accessible online at https://metagear.schirmerlab.de.
01.04.2025
New PhD student
The Schirmer Lab welcomes Markus Haak as a new PhD student.
01.01.2025
New project assistant
The Schirmer Lab welcomes Julia Radler as new project assistant.
19.11.2024
Highly Cited Researchers 2024
Melanie Schirmer is among the “Highly Cited Researchers 2024”. Overall, 15 researchers from the Technical University of Munich were represented on Clarivate’s list for 2024. She was listed in the category “Cross-Field” due to her frequent citations in different subject areas.
Further information:
01.10.2024
Center for Organoid Systems (COS)
Our website for the Center for Organoid Systems (COS) is now online!
www.cos.tum.de.
22.07.2024
Lab retreat 2024 - Schneefernerhaus
Our annual lab retreat took us to the Zugspitze this year, where we discussed our latest research findings while enjoying the stunning mountain views from the Environmental Research Station “Schneefernerhaus”.
01.07.2024
New lab manager
The Schirmer Lab welcomes Dr. Sudip Das as new lab manager.
01.03.2024
New lab technician
The Schirmer Lab welcomes Sofie Schönhals as a new lab technician.
14.02.2024
Latest publication in Cell Host & Microbe
Link to the publication: Linking microbial genes to plasma and stool metabolites uncovers host-microbial interactions underlying ulcerative colitis disease course - ScienceDirect
01.01.2024
New Postdoc
The Schirmer Lab welcomes Mariia Lupatsii as a new postdoctoral researcher.
01.10.2023
Rudolf Mößbauer Tenure Track Professorship
Prof. Dr. Melanie Schirmer is the newly appointed professor for Translational Microbiome Data Integration.
A big thank you goes to all lab members who have been part of that journey!
22.09.2022
Aventis Foundation Postdoctoral Award
Dr. Melanie Schirmer received the Life Science Bridge Award (Aventis Foundation).
Read the full article here: https://bridge.aventis-foundation.org/award-winner/melanie-schirmer-mathematician-of-the-microbiome/