Chao Liao

My lab at Dartmouth will investigate host-microbiome-pathogen interactions with a special focus on how microbial and host metabolism shape these relationships. We will integrate computational modeling, microbiological experiments, and clinical data analysis to quantify metabolic activities at different spatial and temporal scales. At the single-organism level, we will study how fungal pathogens with virulent phenotypes rewire their metabolic network compared to non-virulent strains. At the level of microbial interactions, we will examine how metabolites mediate gut colonization resistance through nutrient competition and toxin production. At the microbiome ecosystem level, we will develop metabolic flux analysis at the community scale to predict metabolite production and consumption from microbiome multi-omics data. We will also create a 3D virtual gut model that incorporates fluid mechanics, microbial metabolism, drug resistance, and immune responses to simulate the process of gut-borne infections in computer.