Mapping Gut Bacteria to Understand Health
Micron-scale Spatial Metagenomic Mapping of Microbial Biogeography in the Gastrointestinal Tract
This project aims to understand how different bacteria arrange themselves in your gut to help us learn more about gut health and infections like C. difficile.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Columbia University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11085956 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Your gut is home to many bacteria, called the microbiome, which are vital for your health. When these bacteria get out of balance, it can lead to problems like C. difficile infections, which are serious and hard to treat. We want to map exactly where these bacteria live in the gut, down to a very tiny scale, to understand how they organize themselves. This knowledge could help us figure out why some treatments, like fecal transplants, work and how to make them better. By studying samples from both humans and mice, we hope to uncover the rules that govern a healthy gut microbiome.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This foundational research does not directly involve patient participation, but future clinical applications could benefit individuals suffering from gut microbiome imbalances or infections like C. difficile.
Not a fit: Patients not experiencing gut microbiome imbalances or bacterial infections would not directly benefit from this specific research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new and more effective ways to treat gut infections and restore a healthy balance of bacteria in the digestive system.
How similar studies have performed: This project builds upon existing spatial metagenomics techniques while also developing new, higher-throughput approaches for whole-genome analysis.
Where this research is happening
New York, United States
- Columbia University Health Sciences — New York, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Wang, Harris H — Columbia University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Wang, Harris H
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.