About

Max Häggblom is a Distinguished Professor and Department Chair in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at Rutgers University. His research focuses on environmental and applied microbiology, specifically on the biodegradation of environmental pollutants such as halogenated aromatic compounds. His laboratory investigates how microbes degrade toxic chemicals and how microbial communities can be stimulated to remediate soil, groundwater, and sediment contaminants. The research encompasses examining the diversity of aerobic and anaerobic processes involved in the transformation of pollutants like chlorinated and brominated aromatic compounds, chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, and PAHs. Häggblom's work aims to develop novel bioremediation strategies by understanding the microbial catabolic activities, degradation mechanisms, and pathways involved in contaminant transformation. His studies include biochemical and molecular characterization of degradation pathways, population dynamics of anaerobic dehalogenating communities, and the role of rhizospheric bacteria and microbe-oligochaete interactions in biodegradation processes. His contributions provide a fundamental understanding of the environmental fate of anthropogenic pollutants and serve as a basis for advancing bioremediation and biocatalytic processes.

Research topics

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Microbiology
• Ecology
• Environmental chemistry
• Genetics
• Medicine
• Cell biology
• Immunology
• Pathology
• Environmental science
• Organic chemistry
• Biophysics
• Photochemistry

Selected publications

• Disruption of the gut microbiota in regulator of G protein signaling 14 knockout (RGS14 KO) mice alters the metabolome and reduces enhanced exercise capacity

  European Journal of Applied Physiology · 2026-03-14

  articleOpen access

  Regulator of G-protein Signaling 14 Knockout (RGS14 KO) mice exhibit enhanced exercise capacity and health span, however the contribution of the gut microbiota to this phenotype remains unclear. This study integrated long-read rRNA operon amplicon sequencing and metabolomics to first determine how microbial composition and tissue metabolite profiles differ between RGS14 KO and their wild-type littermates. Next, we investigated how administration of antibiotics to perturb the gut microbiota may affect the RGS14 KO phenotype. Prior to antibiotic treatment (ABX), RGS14 KO mice outperformed WT littermates in maximal running distance and work performed, accompanied by elevated skeletal muscle citrate synthase, complex IV activity, and nitric oxide production. One week of ABX significantly reduced exercise capacity in both genotypes and markedly suppressed mitochondrial activity in RGS14 KO skeletal muscle. Gut microbiota profiling revealed similar phylum-level structure between genotypes but distinct species- and strain-level signatures. Metabolomics of brown adipose tissue (BAT) and quadriceps identified genotype-specific metabolic programs that were disrupted by ABX, including pathways related to amino acid metabolism, nucleotide turnover, and mitochondrial energetics. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that RGS14 KO mice harbor unique microbial and metabolic networks that support enhanced thermogenesis and exercise performance, and that microbiota depletion eliminates these advantages. This work establishes a mechanistic foundation connecting the gut microbiota to BAT and skeletal muscle metabolism, highlighting potential microbiome-targeted strategies to improve metabolic health and physical performance.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Arsenic oxidation by root endophytes mediates arsenic speciation within rice (Oryza sativa)

  Environmental Pollution · 2026-04-22 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Microbes without borders: uniting societies for climate action

  FEMS Microbiology Ecology · 2025-09-22 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Microbes Saving Lives and Reducing Suffering

  Microbial Biotechnology · 2025-01-01 · 18 citations

  editorialOpen accessSenior author

  Given the overexploitation of the resources of planet Earth, due in large part to the ever-increasing human population (https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-consumption-production/), which has already compromised vital planetary processes (https://reports.weforum.org/docs/ WEF_ Business_on_the_ Edge_ 2024.pdf), the limitations of which are encapsulated in planetary boundaries (Richardson et al. 2023; Guptaet al. 2024; https://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/earth -exceed-safe-limit s-first-planetary-healt h-check-issue s-red-alert) and climate tipping points (Wunderling et al. 2023; Wunderling, von der Heydt, and Aksenov 2024), it would not be unexpected that a visitor from Mars might well be confused,or at least bemused, by our efforts to save lives and reduce mor-bidity. The Martian might be similarly bemused when it learned that although warfare is a constant feature of biosphere ecology, including human behaviour, with military personnel of opposing armies doing their best to kill one another, military physicians will try their best to save the lives of injured prisoners of the opposing side. But warfare and other activities of individuals and groups aimed at harming others notwithstanding, saving lives and preventing/reducing human suffering is an ingrained moral-ethical-humanitarian imperative (https://www. ohchr. org/sites/default/files/Documents/ Publications/Factsheet31.pdf). While we cannot prevent death, we try hard to prevent avoidable, premature death and disease. But trying hard is not the same as succeeding (Kruk et al. 2018). This is reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal(SDG) 3 Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, which identifies major deficits in global healthcare and provides a roadmap to correct these deficits (https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda).

  PublisherDOI

• Lipopolysaccharide detection in foods using recombinant factor C and Toll-like receptor 4 activation assays

  Journal of Food Composition and Analysis · 2025-12-18

  articleOpen access

  Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) are produced by gram-negative bacteria. Lipid A, with structural variants that determine its activity, is the component of LPS responsible for activating endotoxin assays and inducing inflammatory responses. The detection of LPS and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-dependent reporter activation in foods has received limited attention. The aim of this study was to quantify LPS in food and examine LPS mediated TLR4 stimulation in a subset of tested foods. Food and water samples (n=73) were examined in triplicate for LPS using the recombinant Factor C assay (rFC) assay. To determine the TLR4-dependent reporter activation, the human embryonic kidney (HEK)-Blue hTLR4 reporter cell assay was used. Foods were homogenized, centrifuged, and analyzed with and without filtration through a 0.45 µm PES-membrane filter. All foods had detectable quantities of LPS compared to none in water samples and were highest in mixed dishes (p < 0.001). There was a direct correlation between LPS detected in food samples using the rFC assay and hTLR4 reporter cell assay (r =0.779, p <0.05). LPS detected via TLR4-dependent activation suggests the presence of LPS with lipid A molecules with endotoxic activity. The methods described in this study provide guidance to measure LPS in future food studies needed to determine its relevance to health. • Endotoxins are a class of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) that bind the Toll-like receptor-4 and induce an inflammatory response. • There are exogenous sources of LPS, but food remains poorly characterized. • LPS was detected in 100% of foods tested including grains, fruits, vegetables, and protein foods and was highest in mixed dishes. • All foods tested, induced an LPS mediated inflammatory response. • Food LPS is an overlooked source of inflammation.

  PublisherDOI

• Dehalogenating <i>Desulfoluna</i> spp. are ubiquitous in host-specific sponge microbiomes of the Great Barrier Reef

  The ISME Journal · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Marine sponge holobionts are important contributors to numerous biogeochemical cycles, including the natural organohalogen cycle. Sponges produce diverse brominated secondary metabolites, which select for a population of anaerobic debrominating bacteria within the sponge body. Sponge microbiomes can be host-specific, but the selection and host-specificity of debrominating bacteria are unknown currently. In this study, we used nanopore long-read sequencing of nearly full-length ribosomal RNA operons to evaluate host-specificity of the Great Barrier Reef sponge microbiomes at the strain level and to determine if host specificity extends to sponge-associated dehalogenating bacteria. Reductive debromination activity was observed in anaerobic enrichment cultures established from all Great Barrier Reef sponges. Even though other bacterial symbionts of interest, including Nitrospira spp. and Ca. Synechococcus spp. demonstrated strong host-specificity, Desulfoluna spp., a key sponge-associated dehalogenating bacterium showed no evidence of host-specificity. This suggests different modes of transmission and/or retention of different members of the sponge microbiome residing within the same host species. These findings expand our understanding of how sponge microbiomes are assembled and the relationship between the host and individual bacterial strains.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Short-term high fat diet–induced metabolic endotoxemia in older individuals with obesity: a randomized crossover study

  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition · 2025-06-04 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Microbes without borders: uniting societies for climate action

  The ISME Journal · 2025-01-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Genome analysis reveals diverse novel psychrotolerant <i>Mucilaginibacter</i> species in Arctic tundra soils

  ISME Communications · 2025-01-01 · 8 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract As Arctic soil ecosystems warm due to climate change, enhanced microbial activity is projected to increase the rate of soil organic matter degradation. Delineating the diversity and activity of Arctic tundra microbial communities active in decomposition is thus of keen interest. Here, we describe novel cold-adapted bacteria in the genus Mucilaginibacter (Bacteroidota) isolated from Artic tundra soils in Finland. These isolates are aerobic chemoorganotrophs and appear well adapted to the low-temperature environment, where they are also exposed to desiccation and a wide regime of annual temperature variation. Initial 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-based phylogenetic analysis suggested that five isolated strains represent new species of the genus Mucilaginibacter, confirmed by whole genome-based phylogenomic and average nucleotide identity. Five novel species are described: Mucilaginibacter geliditolerans sp. nov., Mucilaginibacter tundrae sp. nov., Mucilaginibacter empetricola sp. nov., Mucilaginibacter saanensis sp. nov., and Mucilaginibacter cryoferens sp. nov. Genome and phenotype analysis showed their potential in complex carbon degradation, nitrogen assimilation, polyphenol degradation, and adaptation to their tundra heath habitat. A pangenome analysis of the newly identified species alongside known members of the Mucilaginibacter genus sourced from various environments revealed the distinctive characteristics of the tundra strains. These strains possess unique genes related to energy production, nitrogen uptake, adaptation, and the synthesis of secondary metabolites that aid in their growth, potentially accounting for their prevalence in tundra soil. By uncovering novel species and strains within the Mucilaginibacter, we enhance our understanding of this genus and elucidate how environmental fluctuations shape the microbial functionality and interactions in Arctic tundra ecosystems.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Quantification of Endotoxin and Inflammatory Potential in Foods

  Current Developments in Nutrition · 2025-05-01

  articleOpen access

  Objectives: Endotoxins are a class of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) produced by gram-negative bacteria that bind the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which induce an inflammatory response via the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) pathway. Endotoxin has been detected in dairy, meat, and processed foods, but not in fruits and vegetables. There is evidence that grains could be a source of LPS, but its detection and inflammatory potential in foods have not been fully characterized and standardized methods are lacking.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Raquel S. Peixoto

  King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

  49 shared

• Christian R. Voolstra

  International Coral Reef Society

  44 shared

• Jay T. Lennon

  Indiana University

  44 shared

• Virginia L. Miller

  American Society for Microbiology

  44 shared

• Lee J. Kerkhof

  Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

  39 shared

• Patrik M. Bavoil

  Federation of European Microbiological Societies

  37 shared

• António Ventosa

  Universidad de Sevilla

  36 shared

• Xiaoxu Sun

  Massachusetts General Hospital

  33 shared

Education

• Ph.D.

  University of Helsinki

  1989