Felix Sommer

Felix Sommer is a Researcher and Group Leader of the Functional Host-Microbiome Research group at the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (IKMB) of Kiel University and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein (UKSH). He heads the Systems Immunology Microbiome Platform and leads the Junior Research Group Functional Host-Microbiome Research and Systems Immunology, which was established in 2020. His work focuses on understanding the intricate interactions between the host, microbiome, and environmental factors in health and disease.

Felix Sommer received his PhD in cell biology in 2010 from Kiel University and completed postdoctoral training in the lab of Fredrik Bäckhed in Gothenburg, Sweden, from 2010 to 2015 before joining IKMB. His research centers on host-microbiome interactions, particularly how the microbiome influences host metabolism (such as glycolysis) and immune responses, with implications for inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, and metabolic disorders. His work employs gnotobiotic in vivo conditional knockout models, functional in vitro organoid systems, and high-throughput 'omics' technologies including next-generation sequencing and metabolomics.

Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on the metabolic aspects of host-microbiome interactions, particularly how microbial metabolites influence host immune responses and disease states. His work spans multiple disease models including inflammatory bowel disease, cancer, metabolic disorders, and aging, with a consistent theme of identifying specific molecular pathways that could be targeted therapeutically. Recent work has increasingly focused on hexokinase regulation, gut barrier function, and the therapeutic potential of microbiome modulation.

Felix Sommer leads a research team that includes doctoral researchers Xue Gu, Hongshu Huang, Lea Järke, Xiangyu Meng, and Saskia Weber-Stiehl. His group is supported by funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for the project 'Role of DUOX2 in shaping the intestinal microbiota and effects on inflammation, cancer and metabolic disease' (SO1141/10-1), the Research Group 'miTarget – The Microbiome as a Target in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases' (FOR5042), and the Excellence Cluster 'Precision Medicine in Chronic Inflammation' (EXS2167).

The Functional Host-Microbiome Research group operates within the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology at Kiel University, utilizing specialized facilities including gnotobiotic models and advanced 'omics' technologies. The group aims to develop novel strategies for treating metabolic and inflammatory disorders by targeting the intestinal microbiome through nutritional or probiotic interventions, with a particular focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying host-microbiome crosstalk.