Gut microbes and malaria: how microbiome interactions influence malaria and drug behavior in people
Official title: Integrative Multiomics to Probe Interactions of the Gut Microbiome with Malaria Pathogenesis and Antimalarial Pharmacokinetics in Humans
Funded at Johns Hopkins University · NIH-11399690 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will study how the gut microbiome interacts with malaria infection and how it affects antimalarial drugs in people, using samples from an existing trial and observational cohort.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project start | August 25, 2025 |
| Project end | July 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $696,578 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI182286-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11399690 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with acute malaria or recent malaria history who can provide stool samples and clinical data from the referenced trial and observational cohort.
✕Less likely to help
People without malaria or without access to the study cohorts may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project will analyze stool samples and clinical data from people with malaria to see how gut bacteria change during infection and how these changes relate to malaria severity and drug processing. Using advanced sequencing and bioinformatics, the study will map which microbes are present and what functions they may perform during malaria and treatment. The work builds on previous trials by reusing fecal specimens and participant information to explore mechanisms in a real human population. The goal is to uncover microbiome-related factors that could influence disease outcomes and optimize antimalarial therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could lead to microbiome-informed approaches to reduce malaria severity and improve drug effectiveness in patients.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown associations between gut microbiome composition and malaria-related outcomes, supporting a potential to uncover actionable mechanisms in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ippolito, Matthew Michael — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Ippolito, Matthew Michael
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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.