We are the Laboratory for Mucosal Immunology at the Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering, The Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford and ETH Zurich

Our lab is dedicated to understand the interactions between microbes and the host at mucosal surfaces. We are interested in applying this knowledge to prevent and treat human and veterinary diseases. We want to understand how diet, microbiota, metabolism and immunity interact in health and disease.

Have a look at our research projects here Research projects
Have a look at our Publications here Publications
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Mucosal immune system

The interactions between diet, the microbiota and the host immune system

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"Next-generation" vaccines

Safe and effective vaccines for application in livestock rearing.

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Microbiota metabolism

Mechanistic understanding of food-as-therapy for microbiota/immunity-related diseases.

Research Projects

Our current understanding of microbiota population dynamics in the gut is based on the sequencing data or the quantification of certain strains by culture.

Publications

Reproducible Colonization of Germ-Free Mice With the Oligo-Mouse-Microbiota in Different Animal Facilities

Claudia Eberl, Diana Ring, Philipp C. Münch, Markus Beutler, Marijana Basic, Emma C. Slack, Martin Schwarzer, Dagmar Srutkova, Anna Lange, Julia S. Frick, André Bleich and Bärbel Stecher

Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 10, pp. 2999, Lausanne: Fontiers Research Foundation, 2020.

Reproducible Colonization of Germ-Free Mice With the Oligo-Mouse-Microbiota in Different Animal Facilities

Claudia Eberl, Diana Ring, Philipp C. Münch, Markus Beutler, Marijana Basic, Emma C. Slack, Martin Schwarzer, Dagmar Srutkova, Anna Lange, Julia S. Frick, André Bleich and Bärbel Stecher

Frontiers in Microbiology, vol. 10, pp. 2999, Lausanne: Fontiers Research Foundation, 2020.

IgA and the intestinal microbiota: the importance of being specific

Oliver Pabst and Emma Slack

Mucosal Immunology, vol. 13: no. 1, pp. 12-21, New York, NY: Nature Publishing Group, 2020

Growing, evolving and sticking in a flowing environment: understanding IgA interactions with bacteria in the gut

Daniel Hoces, Markus Arnoldini, Médéric Diard, Claude Loverdo and Emma Wetter Slack

Immunology, vol. 159: no. 1, pp. 52-62, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2020

Meet the team

Alumni

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Dr. Kathrin Moor (PhD Candidate)

Regulatory Affairs Specialist, University Hospital Zurich

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    Sara Berent (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Immunology, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne

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    Naomi Dünki (Master Student)

    Data Scientist, Novartis (Japan)

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    Tobias Geiser (Bachelor Student)

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    Dr. Corina Matthew (Postdoc)

    Associate Clinical Development Director, Novartis (Switzerland)

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    Basak Corak (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Institute of Physiology, University of Zurich

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    Daria Künzli (Master Student)

    Research Assistant, Igis (Switzerland)

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    Alicia Halbach (Intern)

    PhD Candidate, ETH Zurich

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    Katja Sommer (Intern)

    PhD Candidate, Medical University Vienna

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    Helena Schmitt (Master Student)

    Migros Industry Management Trainee (Switzerland)

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    Ioana Domocos (Master Project Student)

    Senior Research Associate, Roche (Switzerland)

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    Elena Melgarejo Ros (Master Student)

    Scientist, Roche (Switzerland)

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    Julien Huttman (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, University of Geneva

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    Nina Zuber (Intern)

    Medical Student, ETH Zurich

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    Raffael Schumann (Research Assistant)

    PhD Candidate, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (Cambridge, England)

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    Lucas Piech (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Max Perutz PhD Fellowship, Max Perutz Labs, Austria

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    Ursina Enz (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Hardt Lab, ETH Zurich

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    Gianna La Regina (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Monash University

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    Julien Chabbey (Master Student)

    Lab Assistant, University of Zurich

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    Dr. Daniel Hoces Burga (PhD Candidate)

    Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University (USA)

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    Joelle Kägi (Master Student)

    Senior Associate, Eli Lilly and Company (Ireland)

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    Till Germerdonk (Intern)

    PhD Candidate, ETH Zurich

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    Erica Faccin (Research Technician & Laboratory Manager)

    Radio Oncology Research Technician, University Hospital Zurich

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    Stefanie Oswald (Intern)

    Mechanical Engineer, Ypsomed AG, Burgdorf

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    Michael Berger (Master Student)

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    Tea Sonicki (Intern)

    PhD Candidate, University of Sorbonne (France)

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    Ali Ahmed (Master Student)

    Phd Candidate, Neuroimmunology, University of Zurich

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    Florian Stückelberger (Master Student)

    Business Development Manager, Xlife Sciences

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    Benjamin Meier (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Immunology, ETH Zurich

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    Kai Hofmänner (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Université Côte d’Azur, Nice

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    Patrizia Burkhard (Master Student)

    Laboratory Technician and Data Analyst, MSD

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    Caroline Xu (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Nina Maire (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, ETH Zurich

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    Jens Scheidegger (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, University Zurich

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    Valentina Monnerat (Master Student)

    Intern, EPFL

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    Johanna Zehnder (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, University Hospital Zurich

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    Isabella Aigner (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, University of Zurich

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    Jasmine Kaur (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Paula Düllmann (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology

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    Sofia Sponda (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, University College Cork (Ireland)

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    Shirin de Viragh (Intern)

    Medical Student, ETH Zurich

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    Jana Näf (Master Student)

    Scientist, Lonza

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    Dr. Jacqueline Rehner (PhD Exchange Student)

    Postdoctoral Researcher, Saarland University (Germany)

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    Nadia Yorke (Master Student)

    Research Associate, Snijder Lab

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    Eva Rigendinger (Master Student)

    PhD Candidate, ETH Zurich

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    Michelle Knecht (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Despoina Dimakou (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Paula Wagner (Master Student)

    Bachelor Student, ETH Zurich

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    Dr. Jackie Raïssa Ndem (PhD Candidate)

    Project Manager, Graduate Consulting Club

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    Dr. Verena Lentsch (PhD Candidate)

    Postdoctoral Researcher, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford

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    Claudia Moresi (Lab Manager)

    Teacher

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    Dr. Milad Radiom (Senior Assistant)

    Oberassistent, Group of Prof. Raffaele Mezzenga, Laboratory of Food & Soft Materials

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    Dr. Alice de Wouters d'Oplinter (Research Associate)

    Translational Scientist, PharmaBiome AG, Zürich

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    Sandra Garibay (Master Student)

    Intern, Novartis

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    Hannah Kuratli (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zürich

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    Sophie Sturzenegger (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zürich

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    Lorenzo Magnani (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zürich

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    Dr. Swapan Preet (PhD Candidate)

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    Kateryna Vershynina (Research Assistant)

    PhD Candidate, University of Berne

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    Dr. Ronja Rappold (PhD Candidate)

    Visiting Analyst, Verve Ventures

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    Candace Kim (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zürich

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    Dr. Sebastian Hummel (Postdoctoral Researcher)

    Tenure-Track Professorwship, BOKU University, Institute for Mathematics

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    Vivianne Tinner (Master Student)

    Intern, HSC Lentiviral Gene Therapy

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    Julia Bitterli (Master Student)

    Intern, Baxiva

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    Florian Felder (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Chris Anderau (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Valeria Simmental (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Léa Zufferey (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Valeria Gonzalez (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Lisa Petukhov (Master Student Oxford)

    PhD Candidate, Max Planck Institute Tübingen (Germany)

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    Moana Meroni (Apprentice)

    Apprentice, ETH Zurich

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    Nimisha Khurana (PhD Candidate Hausmann Group)

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    Simran Khatri (Bachelor Student)

    Bachelor Student, University College Dublin

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    Lorenzo Togni (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Marius Dick (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Ekaterina Bobyleva (Master Student Baxiva)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Anna Moll (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

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    Anja Pössnecker (Master Student)

    Master Student, ETH Zurich

    Media

    New Faculty Appointment: The BIIE Welcomes Prof. Emma Slack

    The Botnar Institute of Immune Engineering (BIIE) proudly welcomes Prof. Emma Slack to its growing faculty. Prof. Slack holds a joint appointment as the Barclay-Williams Professor of Molecular Immunology at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology within the University of Oxford.

    Welcome to Baxiva - a startup that originated in the Slack Lab

    Check out Baxiva, a biotechnology startup developing next-generation glycoconjugate vaccines to combat bacterial infections. Their mission is to address urgent global health needs by targeting pathogens with high clinical burden and rising antimicrobial resistance. Their lead program focuses on preventing urinary tract and invasive infections caused by Escherichia coli—the world’s leading cause of antibiotic-resistant infections.

    Boosting vaccines with harmless bacteria to fight intestinal pathogens

    Published in Science, a ground-breaking study by the Slack group reveals how combining vaccines with friendly bacteria can boost vaccination efficacy and potentially reduce reliance on antibiotics.

    Welcome to the Hausmann Group

    The Slack Lab warmly welcomes the laboratory for Mucosal Crosstalk. Their research is dedicated to understanding how the interactions between our microbiota, the intestinal epithelium, and immune cells in the intestinal mucosa maintain intestinal homeostasis, and how these interactions derail in disease. They employ interdisciplinary approaches at the interface of epithelial cell biology, microbiology and mucosal immunology in combination with versatile in vivo and in vitro models.

    Women in Science – Prof. Emma Slack

    Interview from the Swiss Young Immunologist Society with Emma. Learn about Emma's passion for immunology, why Emma wanted to become a scientist and how diversity can benefit science.

    Emma Slack appointed new Professor of Molecular Immunology

    We are delighted to announce that Professor Emma Slack is joining the Dunn School as the inaugural Barclay-Williams Professor of Molecular Immunology, in association with the Queen’s College.