Head of Research Unit Microbial Diseases Prevention
Prof. Dr. Li Deng
Academic Career and Research Areas
Li Deng is the Chair of ‘Prevention of Microbial Diseases’ at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Helmholtz Munich. She serves as the Director of the Central Institute for Infection Prevention at TUM and the Bavarian Competent Phage Therapy Center. Her research utilizes integrative approaches by combining single-cell technologies, culture-independent techniques, multi-omics, and machine learning. These methods allow her team to elucidate the fundamental mechanisms of phage-host interactions and their broader impact on human health and the environment.
She earned her PhD in Microbiology from the University of Bristol, UK, and her Bachelor of Environmental Science and Technology from Tsinghua University, China. After completing postdoctoral training in the United States, she joined Helmholtz Munich as the head of the highly competitive DFG Emmy Noether Junior Research Group and the Helmholtz Young Investigator Group. Her scientific excellence has been recognized by an ERC Starting Grant (2019), multiple international and EU consortium grants, and prestigious awards including the Helmholtz Distinguished Female Professor Prize in 2023.
The Deng Lab investigates the human virome and phage-host dynamics to develop innovative phage-based therapeutics and diagnostic tools. These strategies focus on three primary goals:
Combating the global challenge of multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens.
Understanding and preventing dysbiosis-associated diseases.
Modulating the human microbiota to treat complex conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer (CRC), graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), asthma and allergies.
To advance the clinical implementation of phage therapy in Germany, Prof. Dr. Deng’s team has developed highly efficient phage cocktails against critical pathogens. Additionally, she fosters strategic collaborations between scientists and physicians to establish a roadmap for the future of translational phage research and personalized medicine in Germany and beyond.
Professional Background
Director, Bavaria Competent Phage Therapy Center
Director, Central Institute of Disease Prevention, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Chair Professor (W3) of Microbial Disease Prevention, School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany
Young Investigator Group Leader, Institute of Virology, Helmholtz Munich, Germany
Emmy Noether Group Leader and TUM Junior Fellow, Helmholtz Munich and Technical University of Munich, Germany
Maternity and Parental leave
Maternity and Parental leave
Senior postdoc at the Institute of Groundwater Ecology, Helmholtz Munich, Germany
Postdoc at the Department of Ecology and Evolutional Biology, University of Arizona, USA
Ph.D. in Microbiology at the University of Bristol, U.K.
Thesis: Evidence for cyanophage active against bloom-forming freshwater cyanobacteria
M.Sc. in Environmental Sciences, University of Nottingham, U.K.
B.Sc. in Biological Sciences and B.Eng. in Environmental Engineering at the Tsinghua University, China
Publications
Wang, X. ; Tian, S. ; Zhang, Y. ; Yang, L. ; Hu, D. ; Wang, Z. ; Yang, X. ; Li, S. ; Wei, J. ; Zhou, W. ; Wang, S. ; Deng, L. ; Li, F. ; Hou, S. ; Li, P. ; Ru, J.
Bacteria and phage consortia modulate cecal SCFA production and host metabolism to enhance feed efficiency in ducks.Yang, L. ; Ru, J. ; Guo, S. ; Yang, X. ; Li, P. ; Deng, L. ; Wang, X.
Research note: The chicken gut virome: Spatiotemporal dynamics and divergent responses to antibiotic versus phytogenic supplementation.Rupp, M. ; Ferry, T. ; Khan Mirzaei, M. ; Alt, V. ; Deng, L. ; Walter, N.
Bakteriophagen zur Behandlung muskuloskelettaler Infektionen – Eine Übersicht zu klinischem Einsatz, offenen Fragen und rechtlichem Rahmen.