Sahab Ram is a postdoc in Björn Schröder lab. His research aim to link mucus function and gut microbiota composition in health and disease by studying patient samples.
I received my master's in biotechnology from Bikaner University, India. During my master's thesis, I identified the antibacterial activity of medicinal plants against harmful bacteria. This study elicited my interest in microbes, especially bacteria. Therefore, I joined PhD at National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, India.
In my PhD research, I focused on studying the potential role of the gut microbiome in celiac disease. I discovered several novel bacteria from the human intestine with potential gluten-degrading activity, as celiac disease has no treatment except a gluten-free diet. Through genome sequencing of bacteria, we identified specific genes involved in gluten metabolism. I was able to purify the gluten-degrading protease, which might formulate the development of oral enzyme therapy for patients with celiac disease.
I have always been curious to know how gut microbes contribute to human health. My interest in the human gut microbiota led me to join Björn Schröder lab as a postdoc.In our current project, we aim to link mucus function and gut microbiota composition in health and disease by studying patient samples. We hope that our data will help to provide new therapeutic applications in the future.