Prof. Julia Vorholt, ETH, Zürich
Field of research
The "Laboratory of Microbial Physiology" headed by Prof. Julia Vorholt is driven by the
interest to learn how the environment shapes bacterial physiology. The group integrates
complementary experimental approaches in order to identify adaptation mechanisms with an
emphasis on microbial metabolism and regulation. In particular, the group is internationally
recognized in the field of one carbon compound conversion. The group has recently
established a liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry platform which has
been successfully used to identify "novel" signaling molecules important for host / microbe
interactions, to develop an efficient method for quantification of central metabolites, and to
realize dynamic 13C-labelling experiments for pathway elucidation.
interest to learn how the environment shapes bacterial physiology. The group integrates
complementary experimental approaches in order to identify adaptation mechanisms with an
emphasis on microbial metabolism and regulation. In particular, the group is internationally
recognized in the field of one carbon compound conversion. The group has recently
established a liquid chromatography high resolution mass spectrometry platform which has
been successfully used to identify "novel" signaling molecules important for host / microbe
interactions, to develop an efficient method for quantification of central metabolites, and to
realize dynamic 13C-labelling experiments for pathway elucidation.
Specific Contribution to Research in BattleX
Ultrahigh-resolution massspectrometry using an Orbitrap mass analyzer can be used for metabolite detection, identification, and quantification by direct measurement of molecule ions
We will use this approach to obtain a comprehensive overview of metabolites present in infected and non-infected cells.
Lab Members Involved in BattleX
Dr Patrick Kiefer, Research Staff Patrick is responsible for the metabolomics analytical platform. He is developing new sampling strategies as well as sensitive nano-HPLC-MS methods. Development of scripts and workflows for automatic HPLC-MS data interpretation is also part of his job.
Giuseppe Martano, Ph.D. Student