Nora Silvana Nägele

• Presentation

Background

I hold a MSc in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Hohenheim, Germany, where my enthusiasm for nutrition and health initially took root. During my external master’s thesis at the University of Aarhus, I had the opportunity to delve into the fascinating area of infant gut proteomics and its link to the gastrointestinal immune system development. Nutrition-wise, this experience not only broadened my culinary horizons from the German pretzel to Danish smørrebrød, but rather fueled my curiosity about gastrointestinal functionalities.

Research

I will focus on deciphering the physiological changes in the gut barrier function during weight gain, and after lifestyle-, and surgically induced weight loss. My aim is to provide unprecedented insights into how our gut barrier responds to obesity. Therefore, I will include a series of carefully designed clinical studies, and my analyses will range from multi-omics analyses of snap-frozen biopsies to bacterial invasion into the circulatory system. I place a particular emphasis on the understudied human small intestine: Given its complex morphology and its crucial role in nutrient absorption, the small intestine presents an opportunity for in-depth exploration of host-microbe interactions which might be instrumental for weight regulation.

Leisure interests

In my leisure time, I am an avid trail runner and notably, this passion parallels my interest in studying the intestinal ecosystem. A trail runner has to adapt to rapidly changing conditions, similar to how our gastrointestinal tract has to adapt to different dietary changes and challenges in our bodies. Our microbiome has to navigate and conquer different terrains that may be caused by diets, medications and/or environmental factors. Understanding this intricate relationships has yet to be unraveled. During my PhD, I want to bring this complex puzzle a little closer together to gain a more holistic view of microbe-gut-host interactions and how they drive diet-related diseases.