Better tools to understand how your microbiome changes over time
Robust Statistical Methods for Longitudinal Microbiome Studies
New statistical tools to track and clarify how the microbiome changes over months and years for people taking part in long-term microbiome studies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11196182 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will build new mathematical and software methods to handle large sets of microbiome samples taken repeatedly from the same people. The team will focus on removing technical batch differences, spotting which microbes link to health changes over time, mapping how microbes interact with one another, and creating clear visual summaries of these patterns. Methods will be tested using existing large longitudinal human microbiome datasets and shared as user-friendly software. The goal is to make results from long-term microbiome work more reliable and easier for researchers and clinicians to use.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are people enrolled in long-term microbiome cohorts who can provide repeated samples (for example, stool or swabs) over weeks, months, or years.
Not a fit: People who are not participating in longitudinal microbiome research or whose conditions are unrelated to microbiome measures are unlikely to see direct benefit from this methods project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make microbiome findings more trustworthy and speed development of microbiome-informed diagnostics or treatments.
How similar studies have performed: A few specialized tools exist for parts of these problems, but a comprehensive, tailored suite for large longitudinal microbiome data is mostly new and unmet.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ling, Wodan — Weill Medical Coll of Cornell Univ
- Study coordinator: Ling, Wodan
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.