ZBP-Kolloquium

Prof. Dr. Anupam Sengupta (University of Luxembourg)
Title: Microbes on the move: from aquatic ecosystems to tumorigenic environments
Time: 14:15 (refreshments at 14:00)
Location: Campus SB, Building C6 4, room 0.09 (Hörsaal II)
Host: Prof. Christian Wagner

Abstract: Microbes constitute an interconnected continuum across One Earth, linking aquatic ecosystems and terrestrial environments to the human microbiome through shared evolutionary histories, biogeochemical functions, and dynamic exchanges that collectively shape planetary and human health. A defining feature of microbial life is its extraordinary capacity to sense, respond to, and adapt rapidly to environmental cues across wide temporal and spatial scales, from fluctuations in climatic conditions to exposure to anthropogenic stresses. Despite decades of study, a comprehensive framework capable of explaining and predicting these adaptive dynamics, continues to captivate – and elude – biologists, physicists, and engineers alike. Research in my team seeks to address this gap by integrating concepts from physics and bioengineering with micro- and cell biology. Leveraging advanced 3D microfabrication, automation, quantitative imaging, and machine-learning–based analysis, we investigate how microbes, as active living systems, couple individual behaviors with collective organization. Drawing on recent works across diverse biological contexts—including aquatic microalgae, pathogenic biofilms, and bacteria-associated tumors— I will demonstrate how microbes adapt to environmental perturbations and, when necessary, actively remodel their surroundings to optimize fitness. A focal example is Lago di Cadagno, a Swiss Alpine lake where our decade-long research has revealed how spatial organization and metabolic activity of sulfur bacteria emerge from a delicate interplay of collective dynamics, physical gradients and biological constraints. In a seemingly distant context, I will present how anoxic microbes, including sulfur bacteria, influence tumorigenesis in humans. While the recent inclusion of the microbiome among the Hallmarks of Cancer highlights the importance of bacteria in tumor progression, prevailing molecular approaches have largely overlooked the underlying biophysical mechanisms. Our work introduces a data-rich, mechanistic paradigm that complements molecular biology, and opens translational avenues in bioremediation and the management of bacteria-associated cancers, some of which I will highlight in my concluding notes.

If you are interested in an individual meeting with the speaker, please contact the respective host or Philipp Hövel (philipp.hoevel@uni-saarland.de).