NIH-funded research R21 grant

Knowledge-guided multi-omics and transfer learning for emerging bacterial infections

Official title: Knowledge-Guided Multi-Omics Integration and Transfer Learning for Emerging Infections

Funded at Michigan State University · NIH-11439350 · Data updated 2026-11-12

A patient-facing, learn-from-data project aims to improve tools that diagnose and predict outcomes for melioidosis, a serious infection caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei.

Quick facts

Grant typeR21 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionMichigan State University
NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (East Lansing, United States)
Project startSeptember 17, 2026
Project endAugust 31, 2028
Funding year2026
Award (this year)$239,917
NIH project number1R21AI203026-01
Project IDNIH-11439350 on NIH RePORTER

Who could benefit from this research

Could help

Patients with suspected or confirmed Burkholderia pseudomallei infection or melioidosis may benefit from improved diagnostic and prognostic models.

Less likely to help

Patients without access to the healthcare settings where melioidosis is recognized or those not aligned with the study’s data framework may see no direct benefit.

What this research studies

This project builds advanced machine learning methods that connect biological pathways to disease signals using multi-omics data from infected patients. It focuses on small-sample studies of emerging infections and seeks to make predictions more reliable and explanations more understandable. It also uses information learned from larger clinical datasets to boost accuracy in a smaller, more complex dataset, potentially helping clinicians make better diagnoses and prognoses for melioidosis.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to better diagnostic and prognostic tools for melioidosis and related bacterial infections.

How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show that pathway-guided models and transfer learning can improve predictions in complex diseases, but application to melioidosis or similar infections is still developing.

Where this research is happening

  • Michigan State University
    East Lansing, United States
    Active

Researchers

  • Principal investigator: Xia, Lu — Michigan State University
  • Study coordinator: Xia, Lu

Related research

Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.