Affiliation
Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, "Microbiome-Gut-Brain Axis"
Contact
Feodor-Lynen-Straße 17
D-81377 Munich
Email:
corinne.benakis@med.uni-muenchen.de
Website:
https://www.isd-research.de/research-groups/benakis-lab/0b29bdd23b1f63b4
Research Focus
Project overview: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and mortality worldwide. One of the main risk factors for stroke onset is exposure to environmental toxins. Some of these environmental toxins that affect human health include dioxins and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. Both compounds have a high affinity for the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) which is ubiquitously expressed in immune cells at barrier sites, including the gut, the lung and meninges. For this project, we will test specific environmental toxins, ligands of AhR, and characterize the immune response and microbial composition before and after exposure to the toxin and evaluate the impact on stroke severity in mice. To address this question, some of the experiments include isolation of immune cells from the gut, lung and meninges, running flow cytometry analysis on the gut and the lungs and 16sRNA sequencing of the microbiota before and after toxin exposure. We will then evaluate the data and determine if this exposure influences stroke outcome.
Project supervisor: Ms. Alexandria Ruggles (Benakis Lab)
Must-have lab skills: Proficiency at the bench and flow cytometry (cell isolation and analysis)
Nice-to-have: mouse handling experience.