Mapping microbes and nearby tissue molecules at tiny scale
Spatially resolved multiomics profiling of microbes and their host tissue
Building a new way to map microbes and the molecules around them in tumors and other tissues to better understand cancer and infection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Yale University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New Haven, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11136496 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project will develop tools that keep the exact location of microbes and the surrounding host molecules inside tissue while measuring RNA and proteins. The team will extend methods they invented (DBiT-seq and Spatial-CITE-seq) so they can work despite bacterial cell walls, low bacterial mRNA, and lack of poly-A tails. They will test the methods on mouse models and human tumor tissue to produce high-resolution maps of microbe–host interactions. These maps aim to reveal how microbes sit in and influence cancer tissues.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with cancer who can donate tumor or surgical tissue samples for research would be the best candidates to contribute to this work.
Not a fit: Patients who cannot or do not want to provide tissue samples, or who need immediate treatment rather than research participation, are unlikely to get direct benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could reveal how bacteria in or near tumors affect cancer behavior and treatment responses, guiding future diagnostics or therapies.
How similar studies have performed: The investigators have already applied related spatial multiomic methods to human tissues, but applying high-resolution spatial multiomics specifically to bacteria is novel and largely untested.
Where this research is happening
New Haven, United States
- Yale University — New Haven, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Yang — Yale University
- Study coordinator: Liu, Yang
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.