Understanding how infant gut communities form and diverge worldwide
Official title: Identifying the Ecological Forces driving Global Divergence in Infant Microbiome Assembly
Funded at University of Colorado · NIH-11426712 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Scientists are studying what shapes the early invisible ecosystem in babies’ tummies and how it might influence immune development across the world.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Colorado NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boulder, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 5, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $386,994 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM165719-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11426712 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are infants in their first months of life and their mothers in diverse global settings, with parental consent for participation and sample collection.
✕Less likely to help
Families choosing not to participate or those in settings with limited access to follow-up may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at how infant gut microbiomes assemble in different populations and why this affects immune system development. Researchers will profile infants’ gut microbes and related factors like human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), early diet, antibodies, and microbial transmission to identify key ecological forces. They will use a reverse-translation approach that connects human data to controlled experiments to test cause-and-effect in a safe, reductionist way. The goal is to map which ecological pressures guide microbiome trajectories and how these patterns relate to health outcomes as children grow.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could clarify targets for early-life interventions to support healthy immune development.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies show that early-life microbiome patterns relate to immune outcomes, but this project extends understanding by linking ecological forces to assembly trajectories.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Colorado
Boulder, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Olm, Matthew Raymond — University of Colorado
- Study coordinator: Olm, Matthew Raymond
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.