Predicting how predators shape complex animal microbiomes
Official title: Predator-prey dynamics in a complex animal microbiome
Funded at Georgia Institute of Technology · NIH-11428466 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant explores how predatory bacteria interact with microbes inside an animal host to influence health and disease in a real-world animal system.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Georgia Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Atlanta, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $382,507 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM165598-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11428466 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals or organisms involved in animal microbiome research or coral-associated animal hosts where microbial balance affects health outcomes.
✕Less likely to help
This grant does not directly recruit human patients; benefits are likely to accrue to the broader understanding of microbiome dynamics in animal hosts.
What this research studies
Dr. Lauren Speare at Georgia Tech will study how predator and prey microbes interact within a coral-associated animal microbiome, using a tripartite setup with a predatory bacterium, a bacterial pathogen, and the coral host. The work leverages genetic tools, non-destructive sampling, and multiple treatments to understand what makes bacteria vulnerable to predation and how community diversity affects these dynamics. The goal is to uncover factors that could someday be used to steer microbiomes toward healthier states in animals. The project combines microbiology, ecology, and genomics to reveal how microbial communities respond to predation in a real host system.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Gaining knowledge about microbial predation could inform future strategies to promote animal health by steering microbiomes away from disease-causing states.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work has shown that predator-prey interactions can influence microbiome composition and host health in controlled systems, though applying this to complex animal hosts is still emerging.
Where this research is happening
-
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Speare, Lauren — Georgia Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Speare, Lauren
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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.