Dr David Riglar’s research aims to better understand the function of the gut and its resident microbiota during health and disease using a combination of synthetic biology, imaging and sequencing-based approaches. In particular, David is interested in how bacteria function differently in different regions of the gut.
The microbes that live in our guts are essential for
maintaining our health. Changes to the make-up and function of the microbiota
have been associated with a wide range of diseases including inflammatory bowel
disease, colorectal cancer, diabetes and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Because of the intimate relationship they have with their
surroundings, our microbes can be used to gain new insights into the gut and
could one day diagnose, monitor and treat disease in the clinic. To this end,
David’s lab is developing innovative technologies using engineered bacteria to
probe and control the gut environment.
PhD Student
Clare is a PhD student studying how to engineer bacteria to detect inflammation and spy on the other microbes in the mammalian gut.
PhD Student
Nina joined the Riglar Lab in November 2020 as a PhD student and works on engineering synthetic circuits within bacteria to sense and control the gut microbiome. She has an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and a Master's degree in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences from Imperial College London. She has also worked at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, where she undertook an 8-week studentship investigating the process of mammalian neurulation.
Research Associate
David holds a PhD in Veterinary Medicine from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC). Currently he is investigating spatial variability within the mammalian gut microbiome during health and inflammatory disease at Riglar’s lab.