Lars Engstrand, MD, Professor of clinical microbiology and communicable diseases, Karolinska Institute. He holds the Director position at the Center for Translational Microbiome Research (CTMR), Karolinska Institute. Engstrand’s research group aims at creating a scientific environment with a broad interdisciplinary approach to the interface between epidemiology and the microbiological, immunological and genetic aspects of chronic infectious diseases to clarify the pathogenic mechanisms and to improve the prospects for primary prevention. He established CTMR in January 2016 as a public-private partnership between Karolinska Institute and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. The center builds on a deep understanding of translational microbiome research and has established a broad technical, biological, clinical and epidemiological platform for studying complex microbiological communities in well-defined human materials on a large-scale level. The collaboration forms a solid foundation for understanding the contribution of the microbiome to normal physiology and pathophysiology and opens opportunities for development of novel therapies and personalized treatment.

Large-scale translational microbiome research – the value of population-based metagenomic data from the perspective of personalized medicine