Mapping the viruses of the mouth, gut, and brain
Human Virome Characterization Center for the Oral-Gut-Brain Axis
This center will map viruses found in the mouth, gut, and brain across ages to help people, including those with brain injuries, learn how viral communities relate to health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Los Angeles NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261062 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From your point of view, researchers will collect samples such as saliva, stool, and other relevant specimens from people of different ages and health backgrounds. A coordinated center across several medical centers will store these samples in a biospecimen bank and use high-throughput sequencing and computational tools, including AI, to identify the viruses present. They will compare viral patterns between healthy people and those with conditions like acquired brain injury to find differences that might matter for health. The project will produce shared data resources and methods so future studies and clinical trials can build on these findings.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are volunteers across the lifespan — healthy people and patients with conditions such as acquired brain injury — willing to provide mouth, stool, and possibly blood or other samples.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate treatment changes or urgent care are unlikely to receive direct medical benefit from participating in this basic science and characterization effort.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could identify viral patterns linked to brain injury and other conditions, pointing toward new diagnostics or future treatments.
How similar studies have performed: Large projects have successfully mapped bacterial microbiomes, but a comprehensive, multi-site effort to map the human virome across the oral–gut–brain axis is largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Los Angeles, United States
- University of California Los Angeles — Los Angeles, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kapila, Yvonne L — University of California Los Angeles
- Study coordinator: Kapila, Yvonne L
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.