Schwerd Lab

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract harbors a complex community of microbes (e.g. bacteria, fungi, archaea, viruses) and various food antigens. Diet is one of the key environmental factors that shapes the gut microbiota. In healthy individuals no pathologic features occur, despite lamina propria infiltration with various immune cells and separation from luminal microorganisms and dietary antigens by only a single epithelial layer and mucus. Complex regulatory pathways must therefore maintain intestinal immune homeostasis in a healthy GI tract.

My group focus on childhood inflammatory and allergic diseases of the GI tract caused by a dysregulated interaction between diet, the microbiome and the mucosal immune system, like inflammatory bowel diseases or eosinophilic esophagitis.

Impact of exclusive enteral nutrition on microbiome signatures and function in pediatric Crohn’s disease (SFB1371/P01)

Crohn’s disease (CD), a major subtype of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), is characterized by cycles of remission and relapse. Genetic susceptibility in combination with compositional and functional changes in the intestinal microbiome are considered to play a key role in the etiology of IBD. Exclusive enteral nutrition (EEN) is highly effective for induction of remission in pediatric CD. EEN means exclusive feeding with a liquid formula for eight weeks. EEN is able to control disease activity, supports mucosal healing, improves malnutrition and growth, and has an excellent safety profile. However, due to the highly demanding adherence to exclusive formula feeding, EEN is not considered a long-term maintenance treatment. Given that clinical efficacy of EEN in pediatric CD is associated with shifts in the intestinal microbiota, we aim to understand the role of the microbiota in EEN. Our work includes analysis of the types of bacteria present (microbiome sequencing), what they are doing (fecal microbiome) as well as examination of the gut immune cell signaling.

Weblink: SFB1371

T-cell immunity in childhood and adolescent eosinophilic esophagitis. Longitudinal study of the interaction between the immune system, microbiome and nutrition (EoE-LIME)

LMU Klinikum - AG Schwerd - EoE Forschungsgruppe

Abbildung 1: Multiplex-Immunfluoreszenzfärbung einer Ösophagusbiopsie. Von einem Patienten mit aktiver Eosinophiler Ösophagitis ist eine Ösophagusbiopsie in der Übersicht gezeigt (Maßstab siehe links unten im Bild). Neben der Kernfärbung (DAPI) wurden eosinophile Granulozyten (EPX+), Mastzellen (MCT+) und T-Zellsubpopulationen (CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, FoxP3+) angefärbt.

Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a chronic, immune- and antigen-mediated disease of the esophagus that leads to esophageal dysfunction. The etiology is multifactorial and still poorly understood. Besides genetic factors, environmental allergens in food or air play a crucial role. IgE-mediated hypersensitivity and a delayed T-cell-mediated immune response using Th2 interleukins (IL) IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13 result in the recruitment and activation of eosinophils, basophils, and mast cells. The aim of the study is to describe and functionally characterize T cell subpopulations with respect to their influence on eosinophilic inflammation and inflammatory resolution in the context of environmental factors (food allergens, microbiome) in EoE.”

Koletzko L, Klucker E, Le Thi TG, Breiteneicher S, Rubio-Acero R, Neuhaus L, Stark RG, Standl M, Wieser A, Töröl H, Koletzko S, Schwerd T. Following Pediatric and Adult IBD Patients through the COVID-19 Pandemic: Changes in Psychosocial Burden and Perception of Infection Risk and Harm over Time. J Clin Med. 2021, 10(18), 4124;
Bruckner A, Werkstetter KJ, Frivolt K, Shokry E, Ahmed M, Metwaly A, Marques JG, Uhl O, Krohn K, Hajji M, Otte S, Pozza SB, Bufler P, Liptay S, Haller D, Koletzko B, Koletzko S, Schwerd T. Partial enteral nutrition has no benefit on bone health but improves growth in paediatric patients with quiescent or mild Crohn's disease. Clin Nutr. 2020 Dec;39(12):3786-3796.
Serra EG, Schwerd T, Moutsianas L, Cavounidis A, Fachal L, Pandey S, Kammermeier J, Croft NM, Posovszky C, Rodrigues A, Russell RK, Barakat F, Auth MKH, Heuschkel R, Zilbauer M, Fyderek K, Braegger C, Travis SP, Satsangi J, Parkes M, Thapar N, Ferry H, Matte JC, Gilmour KC, Wedrychowicz A, Sullivan P, Moore C, Sambrook J, Ouwehand W, Roberts D, Danesh J, Baeumler TA, Fulga TA, Karaminejadranjbar M, Ahmed A, Wilson R, Barrett JC, Elkadri A, Griffiths AM, investigators CiIg, Oxford IBDcsi, Study I, Swiss IBDci, Consortium UIG, Consortium NIG, Snapper SB, Shah N, Muise AM, Wilson DC, Uhlig HH, Anderson CA. Somatic mosaicism and common genetic variation contribute to the risk of very-early-onset inflammatory bowel disease. Nat Commun 2020;11:995.
Schwerd T, Bryant RV, Pandey S, Capitani M, Meran L, Cazier JB, Jung J, Mondal K, Parkes M, Mathew CG, Fiedler K, McCarthy DJ, Consortium WGS, Oxford IBDcsi, investigators CiIg, Consortium UIG, Sullivan PB, Rodrigues A, Travis SPL, Moore C, Sambrook J, Ouwehand WH, Roberts DJ, Danesh J, Study I, Russell RK, Wilson DC, Kelsen JR, Cornall R, Denson LA, Kugathasan S, Knaus UG, Serra EG, Anderson CA, Duerr RH, McGovern DP, Cho J, Powrie F, Li VS, Muise AM, Uhlig HH. NOX1 loss-of-function genetic variants in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Mucosal Immunol 2018;11:562-574.
Schwerd T, Twigg SRF, Aschenbrenner D, Manrique S, Miller KA, Taylor IB, Capitani M, McGowan SJ, Sweeney E, Weber A, Chen L, Bowness P, Riordan A, Cant A, Freeman AF, Milner JD, Holland SM, Frede N, Muller M, Schmidt-Arras D, Grimbacher B, Wall SA, Jones EY, Wilkie AOM, Uhlig HH. A biallelic mutation in IL6ST encoding the GP130 co-receptor causes immunodeficiency and craniosynostosis. J Exp Med 2017;214:2547-2562.
Schwerd T, Pandey S, Yang HT, Bagola K, Jameson E, Jung J, Lachmann RH, Shah N, Patel SY, Booth C, Runz H, Duker G, Bettels R, Rohrbach M, Kugathasan S, Chapel H, Keshav S, Elkadri A, Platt N, Muise AM, Koletzko S, Xavier RJ, Marquardt T, Powrie F, Wraith JE, Gyrd-Hansen M, Platt FM, Uhlig HH. Impaired antibacterial autophagy links granulomatous intestinal inflammation in Niemann-Pick disease type C1 and XIAP deficiency with NOD2 variants in Crohn's disease. Gut 2017;66:1060-1073.
Schwerd T, Frivolt K, Clavel T, Lagkouvardos I, Katona G, Mayr D, Uhlig HH, Haller D, Koletzko S, Bufler P. Exclusive enteral nutrition in active pediatric Crohn disease: Effects on intestinal microbiota and immune regulation. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2016;138:592-6.
Schwerd T, Khaled AV, Schurmann M, Chen H, Handel N, Reis A, Gillessen-Kaesbach G, Uhlig HH, Abou Jamra R. A recessive form of extreme macrocephaly and mild intellectual disability complements the spectrum of PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome. Eur J Hum Genet 2016;24:889-94.
Uhlig HH, Schwerd T, Koletzko S, Shah N, Kammermeier J, Elkadri A, Ouahed J, Wilson DC, Travis SP, Turner D, Klein C, Snapper SB, Muise AM, Group CiIS, Neopics. The diagnostic approach to monogenic very early onset inflammatory bowel disease. Gastroenterology 2014;147:990-1007 e3.
Frivolt K, Schwerd T, Werkstetter KJ, Schwarzer A, Schatz SB, Bufler P, Koletzko S. Repeated exclusive enteral nutrition in the treatment of paediatric Crohn's disease: predictors of efficacy and outcome. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2014;39:1398-407.

complete publications of Dr. Tobias Schwerd

The step-up treatment approach in pediatric ulcerative colitis results in frequent relapses: a retrospective analysis according to STRIDE-II (Selecting Therapeutic Targets in Inflammatory Bowel Disease) recommendations

H. Hölz ¹, M.-L. Frank¹, L. Bragagna ¹, S. Bühler ¹, K. Siebert ¹, A. Brückner ¹, F. De Zen ¹, E. Klucker ^{1, 2}, T. Foerg ¹, K. Krohn ², E. Lurz ¹, M.S. Hajji ¹, S. Koletzko ^1,3, T.G. Le Thi ¹ and T. Schwerd ¹

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children’s Hospital and ²Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Integrated Social Pediatric Center (iSPZ Hauner), University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany ³ Department of Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition, School of Medicine Collegium Medicum University of Warmia and Mazury, Olsztyn, Poland.

Schwerd Lab

Research topics

PD Dr. med. Tobias Schwerd

Lab Team

Research Group Leader

Clinical Study Team

Thu Giang Le Thi (MSc, MPH)

Katarina Csollarova (Dipl. oec. troph. univ., MPH)

Alexandra Fabry-Said (MA. rer. nat)

Dr. Katharina Werkstetter (MSC, MPH)

Verena Wegmann

Milena Geist

Moritz Brammer

AG Schwerd 2019

April 2022: Marie-Luise Frank presented her thesis work

April 2022: New colleagues in our team!

Feb 2022: New medical doctoral candidates in our lab!

July 2021: Tobias Schwerd is awarded the ECCO Grant for the research project “Tissue-associated microbial and cellular drivers of resolution of inflammation and disease exacerbation in a long-term cohort of paediatric CD patients”

October 2021: Hannes Hölz will present e-Poster at UEG Week conference

April 2021: Simon Bühler won the best poster presentation of the Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (GPGE)

April 2021: Hannes Hölz held oral presentation at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (GPGE)

Schwerd Lab / Translationale Gastroenterologie in der Pädiatrie

CCRC Hauner