What on Earth Is the Microbiome? (Explained as If We Were Having a Beer) 🍺
You’re not just you: you’re an ecosystem. Over a beer, we explore what the microbiome is, what it does for you, and why losing the balance can mess with your health.
Francesc Català-Moll
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Hi there —
I’m a bioinformatician specialising in microbiome research, epigenetics and multi-omics integration. I study how microbial communities interact with the immune system and influence infection, inflammation and health, translating complex biological signals into clear, interpretable insights.
I build reproducible analytical pipelines and scalable data workflows that support both academic teams and industry partners. My experience covers microbial genomics, resistome profiling, epigenomics and multi-omic integration, along with the development of R/Bioconductor tools such as dar and biocroxytest
I also apply machine learning and modern AI to reveal patterns that classical analyses overlook—from predictive modelling to biomarker discovery. My goal is to provide actionable, data-driven evidence that accelerates research, strengthens decision-making and drives innovation in infectious diseases, immunology and precision health.
Featured Projects
Research tools and applications in bioinformatics and data analysis
Recent Posts
Insights and tutorials on bioinformatics, data analysis, and research methods
Letting AI pick the right differential abundance method, taxon by taxon
Microbiome data are messy, and no single differential abundance method wins everywhere. Here I explore how AI could learn, taxon by taxon, which method is most reliable using modern benchmarks and simulated/semi-simulated datasets.
Protein Binding Pockets: Structure, Dynamics and AI-Based Prediction
A deep dive into what binding pockets are, how they shape enzyme function, and how modern AI and structure prediction tools let us map them at scale.
Selected Publications
Peer-reviewed research in epigenetics, microbiome, and immunology
2025
Identification of Clinical and Genomic Features Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Reinfections
Muñoz-López, Francisco, ..., Català-Moll, Francesc, et al.
Viruses
10.3390/v17060840
2024
The rectal microbiome: understanding its role in HIV transmission
Català-Moll, Francesc and Paredes, Roger
Current Opinion in HIV and AIDS
10.1097/coh.0000000000000906
2024
Deep-amplicon sequencing of the complete beta-tubulin gene in Trichuris trichiura before and after albendazole treatment
Gandasegui, Javier, ..., Catala-Moll, Francesc, et al.
International Journal for Parasitology: Drugs and Drug Resistance
10.1016/j.ijpddr.2024.100570
2023
Vaccination with an HIV T-Cell Immunogen (HTI) Using DNA Primes Followed by a ChAdOx1-MVA Boost Is Immunogenic in Gut Microbiota-Depleted Mice despite Low IL-22 Serum Levels
A. Elizalde-Torrent, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Vaccines
10.3390/vaccines11111663
2022
Epigenetic landscape in the kick-and-kill therapeutic vaccine BCN02 clinical trial is associated with antiretroviral treatment interruption (ATI) outcome
B. Oriol-Tordera, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
eBioMedicine
10.1016/j.ebiom.2022.103956
2022
Gut microbiome signatures linked to HIV-1 reservoir size and viremia control
A. Borgognone, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Microbiome
10.1186/s40168-022-01247-6
2022
Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 variant transitions using differences in diagnostic cycle threshold values of target genes
A.E. Bordoy, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Scientific Reports
10.1038/s41598-022-25719-9
2022
Probiotic effects on immunity and microbiome in HIV-1 discordant patients
C. Blázquez-Bondia, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Frontiers in Immunology
10.3389/fimmu.2022.1066036
2022
Single-cell Atlas of common variable immunodeficiency shows germinal center-associated epigenetic dysregulation in B-cell responses
J. Rodríguez-Ubreva, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Nature Communications
10.1038/s41467-022-29450-x
2022
Vaccination with an HIV T-cell immunogen induces alterations in the mouse gut microbiota
A. Borgognone, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
npj Biofilms and Microbiomes
10.1038/s41522-022-00368-y
2022
Vitamin D receptor, STAT3, and TET2 cooperate to establish tolerogenesis
F. Català-Moll et al.
Cell Reports
10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110244
2021
Activation-induced deaminase is critical for the establishment of DNA methylation patterns prior to the germinal center reaction
F. Català-Moll et al.
Nucleic Acids Research
10.1093/nar/gkab322
2021
Genomic and phenotypic insights from an atlas of genetic effects on DNA methylation
J.L. Min, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Nature Genetics
10.1038/s41588-021-00923-x
2021
Integrative Analysis Reveals a Molecular Stratification of Systemic Autoimmune Diseases
G. Barturen, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Arthritis and Rheumatology
10.1002/art.41610
2021
Integrative epigenomics in Sjögren´s syndrome reveals novel pathways and a strong interaction between the HLA, autoantibodies and the interferon signature
M. Teruel, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Scientific Reports
10.1038/s41598-021-01324-0
2021
JAK2-STAT Epigenetically Regulates Tolerized Genes in Monocytes in the First Encounter With Gram-Negative Bacterial Endotoxins in Sepsis
O. Morante-Palacios, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Frontiers in Immunology
10.3389/fimmu.2021.734652
2021
Performance of 16s metagenomic profiling in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded versus fresh-frozen colorectal cancer tissues
A. Borgognone, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Cancers
10.3390/cancers13215421
2021
Targeting aberrant DNA methylation in mesenchymal stromal cells as a treatment for myeloma bone disease
A. Garcia-Gomez, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Nature Communications
10.1038/s41467-020-20715-x
2019
Inflammatory cytokines and organ dysfunction associate with the aberrant DNA methylome of monocytes in sepsis
C. Lorente-Sorolla, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Genome Medicine
10.1186/s13073-019-0674-2
2019
Inflammatory cytokines shape a changing DNA methylome in monocytes mirroring disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis
J. Rodríguez-Ubreva, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
10.1136/annrheumdis-2019-215355
2017
Activation-induced cytidine deaminase targets SUV4-20-mediated histone H4K20 trimethylation to class-switch recombination sites
V.C. Rodríguez-Cortez, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Scientific Reports
10.1038/s41598-017-07380-9
2017
Prostaglandin E2 Leads to the Acquisition of DNMT3A-Dependent Tolerogenic Functions in Human Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells
J. Rodríguez-Ubreva, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Cell Reports
10.1016/j.celrep.2017.09.018
2017
TET2- and TDG-mediated changes are required for the acquisition of distinct histone modifications in divergent terminal differentiation of myeloid cells
A. Garcia-Gomez, ..., F. Català-Moll, et al.
Nucleic Acids Research
10.1093/nar/gkx666