Meet CAG presenter Kaare Bisgaard Tranæs

Meet CAG presenter Kaare Bisgaard Tranæs

Cand. Scient. Human Biology

PhD student at Dansk BørneAstma Center (COPSAC) & Food Microbiology, Gut Health, and Fermentation, UCHP

Supervisors: Associate Professor Jakob Stokholm, COPSAC/RegionH, Assistant Professor Torben Sølbeck Rasmussen, UCPH, and Senior Researcher MD PhD Jonathan Thorsen, Dansk BørneAstma Center.

Read more about CAG MICROBIOME.

What is your research project about?

My PhD involves conducting the RestoreGut trial, the world’s first randomized clinical trial restoring the microbiome in children born by cesarean section using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and fecal virome transplantation (FVT) for disease prevention.

In our COPSAC cohorts, we have found that children born by cesarean section have a significantly higher risk of developing asthma in childhood. We have also seen that cesarean section leaves a characteristic microbial “fingerprint” on the gut microbiome. Most cesarean section-delivered children normalize their microbiome during the first year of life; however, the continued presence of this fingerprint one year after birth is a powerful predictor of future childhood asthma. We believe that this fingerprint can be erased by early intervention and that doing so can reduce the risk of asthma.

In RestoreGut, we want to mimic the microbial exposures of a vaginal birth by transferring a tiny amount of maternal fecal matter (FMT) to children born by cesarean section. We then compare the microbiome development against a control group of cesarean section-born children receiving a placebo treatment as well as a group of children born vaginally. We will also investigate the ability of bacteria-specific viruses (bacteriophages or phages) to shape the bacterial composition through our FVT intervention. Our collaborators have demonstrated a great potential for FVT, which benefits from the fact that phages do not infect human cells like certain bacteria can, perhaps eliminating the extensive safety screening required for FMT donors.

What does it mean to be part of a CAG?

Being part of the MICROBIOME CAG is a valuable gateway to the expertise of the leading researchers on this topic. Getting so many experts in the same room can be nearly impossible, but the CAG network facilitates this, allowing for highly effective knowledge sharing and collaboration. The MICROBIOME CAG was established in 2018, and the benefits were quickly apparent to all parts of the network, which was why the CAG was extended in 2023. Our collaboration continues to strengthen, with more and more cross-sectional initiatives every year.  Our latest initiative is the RestoreGut clinical trial,  which brings together years of basic research from the CAG, implementing the results in a clinically impactful setting.

Nærbillede af solbeskinnede græsstrå, ALLERGY