Andreas J. Baumler
University of California, Davis
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Primary Section: 44, Microbial Biology Membership Type:
Member
(elected 2023)
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Biosketch
Andreas J. Bäumler, PhD, is a Distinguished Professor and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the University of California Davis School of Medicine. He earned his Diploma and PhD in Microbiology from the University of Tübingen, Germany. He was a postdoctoral fellow in microbial pathogenesis at the Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland, OR, and Assistant and Associate Professor of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at Texas A&M University Health Science Center. He is the Editor in Chief of the journal Infection and Immunity. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, the German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) and the NAS. He is a Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Microbiology. Awards include the Tissier’s Medal from the Japan Bifidus Foundation, and the Robert Koch Award from the Robert Koch Foundation, Germany.
Research Interests
Dr. Bäumler’s research program investigates mechanisms of intestinal colonization and the host response to Salmonella infection. Since pathogen-induced inflammation results in compositional changes in the gut microbiota, this research identified host factors that balance host-associated microbial communities. The pioneering work in Dr. Bäumler’s laboratory revealed that the cells of the intestinal epithelium regulate the composition and function of our gut microbiota. This research showed that cellular respiration of the intestinal cells and their energy metabolism play an essential role in this. If, for example, the intestinal cells change their metabolism during inflammation, the composition of the microflora changes, resulting in so‐called dysbiosis, which can have a decisive influence on the course of the disease, for example in the case of infectious colitis, but also in the case of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. These findings provide completely new and original starting points for restoring the balance between microflora and the human body in these diseases.
