The ‘Host-Microbiota Interaction’ lab (HMI) studies the complex interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the host immune system and investigates the fundamental mechanisms underlying immune pathologies including spondyloarthritis (SpA), IBD and colorectal cancer, using transgenic mouse models. We have a strong interest in immune-modulating functions of the intestinal microbiota and our team established first Belgian Germfree and Gnotobiotic mouse facility. In this facility, we can rederive transgenic mouse models of human disease in germ-free or gnotobiotic conditions, for functional microbiota-research