Since the beginning of 2026, PD Dr. Marius Vital has strengthened the RESIST research consortium with his expertise in functional microbiome research. He heads the “Functional Microbiomics” research group at the Institute of Medical Microbiology and Hospital Epidemiology at Hannover Medical School (MHH), where he also serves as co-head of molecular diagnostics.
His research focuses on understanding how the human microbiome contributes to the development and progression of diseases. His group employs advanced multi-omics approaches such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metabolomics to identify novel biomarkers and develop innovative, personalized therapeutic strategies, including targeted nutritional interventions.
A particular emphasis is placed on the analysis of complex datasets using bioinformatic, statistical, and machine learning–based methods. In addition, in vitro and ex vivo models are used to investigate microbial processes under controlled conditions.
Within RESIST, his group specifically investigates the role of the gut microbiota in infections affecting patients with liver diseases, as well as the role of secretory IgA at the interface between host and microbiome.
PD Dr. Vital studied Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Graz and the University of Vienna and earned his doctorate in Environmental Sciences at ETH Zurich. After completing a postdoctoral fellowship within the Human Microbiome Project in the United States, he returned to Europe in 2014 and worked at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI). Since 2019, he has been affiliated with MHH. His research is funded by organizations including the German Research Foundation (DFG), the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), the Volkswagen Foundation, and RESIST.