Verena Lentsch

I joined the Simmons Lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral researcher after completing my PhD and a short postdoctoral period in the lab of Emma Slack at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. My doctoral dissertation defined strategies for eliminating enteropathogenic bacteria by combining rationally designed oral vaccines with bacterial niche competitors.

In the Simmons Lab, my research focuses on the microbiota-immune axis in early life. Upon birth, the gut is quickly colonized by millions of bacteria. Which bacteria colonize a newborn depends on a variety of factors such as the mode of birth (caesarean vs. vaginal), exposure to antibiotics by the mother during pregnancy or the newborn in the early phase of its life, or whether it receives breast milk or formula. The colonizing bacteria have a significant impact on the development of the neonatal immune system, which is crucial for lifelong health. To investigate this, we combine multi-omic analyses and spatial transcriptomics with organ-on-a-chip and gnotobiotic models. The ultimate goal is to better understand the early development of our immune system and the factors that influence it, hoping to identify new ways for early disease detection and prevention strategies, as well as to reduce childhood mortality and improve the health outcomes for premature infants.