Demystifying E. coli ecosystems with synthetic microbial communities
Official title: DMS/NIGMS 2: Demystifying e-coli ecosystem dynamics via synthetic microbial communities with diverse interaction topologies and predictive mechanistic mathematical models
Funded at Arizona State University-Tempe Campus · NIH-11536597 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A project builds controlled, synthetic E. coli communities to uncover how different interactions shape colony behavior and health-related outcomes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Arizona State University-Tempe Campus NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Scottsdale, United States) |
| Project start | August 10, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $300,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R01GM169398-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11536597 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; results may inform future approaches affecting health through microbiome science.
✕Less likely to help
No direct patient benefit in this basic science phase; practical benefits depend on downstream research.
What this research studies
This work uses gene circuits and mathematical models to create and study small microbial communities with varied interaction patterns. By coupling toxin-antitoxin systems with quorum sensing, researchers can steer how strains influence each other under controlled conditions. The team will design, test, and validate two-component communities, then apply predictive math to understand the dynamics. The goal is to translate how these simple microbial ecosystems behave into insights that could affect human health and environmental contexts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could improve our understanding of microbial ecosystems and inform strategies to manage microbiomes relevant to health and disease.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show that synthetic communities can reveal how interactions shape dynamics, though this project advances more controllable, predictive modeling.
Where this research is happening
-
Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
Scottsdale, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Xiao — Arizona State University-Tempe Campus
- Study coordinator: Wang, Xiao
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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.