How environmental microbes affect people’s health in Hawai‘i
Integrative Center for Environmental Microbiomes and Human Health
This center brings scientists together to learn how microbes in the environment and on our bodies affect the health of people living in Hawai‘i and similar places.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Hawaii at Manoa NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Honolulu, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11171583 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The center compares microbes across Hawai‘i’s diverse landscapes — from mountain to sea and urban to rural — and links those patterns to human health using clinical sample collection, biochemical testing, and ecological mapping. Researchers will collect environmental and human microbiome samples, run laboratory analyses, and develop new tools to identify microbes associated with health or disease. The program includes clinical and community partnerships that may invite local residents to provide health information and biological samples for observational studies. The center also trains and supports faculty to expand microbiome research focused on environmental drivers of human health.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are residents of Hawai‘i (or visitors in island communities) who are willing to share health information and provide environmental or biological samples.
Not a fit: People who do not live in the studied island environments or whose health issues are unrelated to microbes may not receive direct benefit from this center's projects.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to better prevention, diagnostics, or treatments that account for both environmental and personal microbiomes.
How similar studies have performed: Previous human microbiome research has linked microbes to health outcomes, but integrating environmental and human microbiomes across whole landscapes is still relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Honolulu, United States
- University of Hawaii at Manoa — Honolulu, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Amend, Anthony — University of Hawaii at Manoa
- Study coordinator: Amend, Anthony
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.