22/01/2024

Ilana Gabanyi leads a research group on Neuronal Responses to Bacterial Signals – Neurobiota at Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência. Her group is unraveling the intricate connections between the microbial community of the gastrointestinal tract and the central nervous system, a fascinating realm known as the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

This is a field of research growing in relevance and at a rapid pace. Ilana’s exceptional work has earned her the prestigious EMBO Installation Grant, a recognition bestowed upon promising research leaders in different biological areas.

Ilana’s project “Sex and age specificities influencing the gut-brain axis communication” takes a multidisciplinary approach to explore how physiological factors linked to sex and age influence the communication mechanisms of the intestinal microbiota with the neurons in the brain. The aim is to understand the foundations of communication in the gut-brain axis to contribute to novel therapeutic approaches for neurological diseases with varying prevalence across sexes and ages, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, in which the microbiota is a susceptibility factor.

For this project Ilana will receive 50,000 euros for three to five years from EMBO. Moreover, she will gain access to additional grants of up to 10,000 euros per year and travel grants. As part of the EMBO Young Investigator Network, Ilana will benefit from several networking and career development opportunities as well as access to the cutting-edge EMBL facilities in Heidelberg.