The object of our research are the planet microbiomes, as the life support system for the whole biosphere. Microbiomes are indeed responsible for oxygen production, global nutrient circulation, plant primary productivity, and animal and human health. This microbiome centrality for the planet health translates into multiple fields of application of our research, from human and animal biology, where we explore the microbiome-host co-evolutionary trajectories and the impact on health and disease, to food production, resource circularization and environmental health, where natural microbiomes represent a promising source of sustainable solutions. Our primary goal is indeed to derive concrete microbiome-based applications for a better and more sustainable planet, targeting some of the 17 United Nation Sustainable Development Goals, such as good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, climate action, life below water and life on land.
NEWS!
We recently received this great NEWS from Communications Biology Journal! -->> https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-02299-4
" [...] our most-cited microbiome paper to date was from Simone Rampelli et al. (1), who reported that changes in the gut microbiome of children could potentially serve as a biomarker for obesity. Coincidentally, our most-accessed microbiome paper also came from Simone Rampelli et al. (2), who reconstructed a Neanderthal gut microbiome from paleofecal samples in El Salt, Spain. [...]"
(1) Rampelli, S. et al. Pre-obese children’s dysbiotic gut microbiome and unhealthy diets may predict the development of obesity. Commun Biol 1, 222, 2018.
(2) Rampelli, S. et al. Components of a Neanderthal gut microbiome recovered from fecal sediments from El Salt. Commun Biol 4, 169, 2021.
Interview to Prof. Marco Candela about the role of microbiome in sustainable food production. (Video in Italian)