The molecular basis of cell-to-cell communication between hosts and intestinal microbiota, and their impact the development of metabolic diseases.
An increasing area of research is the human-associated microbiota (comprising bacteria, viruses, fungi, unicellular prokaryotes, archaea, etc.), and especially the microbiota inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract. This has established a solid foundation of knowledge about the symbiotic relationships between our species and these microorganisms thorough our evolutionary history and throughout the industrialization of different societies.
Furthermore, several insights gained from microbiota research have been applied to biomedicine, and this has revealed the powerful impact that our microbes can have on our health. Indeed, the exchange of nutrients, metabolites, and proteins between our intestinal microbiota and cells is fundamental in the regulation of several physiological processes governing our bodies.
Recent advances in microbiota research strongly suggest that impairment of this cell-to-cell molecular communication contributes to—and may be the basis of—the development of some human illnesses. These include diet-associated diseases (e.g. obesity, metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes, celiac disease, and liver disease, among others), behavioral disorders (e.g., depression), and cognitive impairments (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).
Our work focuses on the molecular basis of cell-to-cell communication between intestinal microbiota and hosts, and how its impairment impacts the development of metabolic diseases.
Presentation
Get to know us better

Research Staff
The people who make it all possible
Alfonso Benitez Paez
abenitez@cipf.es
Sonia Janneth Cárdenas Brito
sjcardenas@cipf.es
Publications
Our scientific contributions
Depletion of Blautia Species in the Microbiota of Obese Children Relates to Intestinal Inflammation and Metabolic Phenotype Worsening.
Benítez-Páez A, Gómez Del Pugar EM, López-Almela I, Moya-Pérez Á, Codoñer-Franch P and Sanz Y
mSystems,  202 ,  Vol. 5,  pag. e00857-19
Gut microbiota profiles in critically ill patients, potential biomarkers and risk variables for sepsis.
Agudelo-Ochoa GM, Valdés-Duque BE, Giraldo-Giraldo NA, Jaillier-Ramírez AM, Giraldo-Villa A, Acevedo-Castaño I, Yepes-Molina MA, Barbosa-Barbosa J and Benítez-Paéz A
Gut Microbes,  202 ,  Vol. ,  pag. 1-16
A Multi-omics Approach to Unraveling the Microbiome-Mediated Effects of Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides in Overweight Humans.
Benítez-Páez A, Kjølbæk L, Gómez Del Pulgar EM, Brahe LK, Astrup A, Matysik S, Schött HF, Krautbauer S, Liebisch G, Boberska J, Claus S, Rampelli S, Brigidi P, Larsen LH and Sanz Y
mSystems,  201 ,  Vol. 4,  pag. e00209-19
Towards microbiome-informed dietary recommendations for promoting metabolic and mental health: Opinion papers of the MyNewGut project.
Sanz Y, Romaní-Perez M, Benítez-Páez A, Portune KJ, Brigidi P, Rampelli S, Dinan T, Stanton C, Delzenne N, Blachier F, Neyrinck AM, Beaumont M, Olivares M, Holzer P, Günther K, Wolters M, Ahrens W, Claus SP, Campoy C, Murphy R, Sadler C, Fernández L and Kamp JV
CLINICAL NUTRITION, 2018 ,  Vol. 37,  pag. 2191-2197
Multi-locus and long amplicon sequencing approach to study microbial diversity at species level using the MinION™ portable nanopore sequencer.
Benítez-Páez A and Sanz Y
GigaScience, 2017 ,  Vol. 6,  pag. 1-12
FUNDING
Thank you for supporting us
