Understanding how living gut bacteria can fight C. difficile using smart computer ideas
Official title: Elucidating Bacterial Therapeutic Mechanisms Against C. difficile via Physics-Informed Active Machine Learning
Funded at Duke University · NIH-11572331 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A Duke team is using advanced computer methods to learn how living bacterial therapies might prevent or treat C. difficile infection in the gut.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Duke University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Durham, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $609,185 |
| NIH project number | 1R56AI197391-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11572331 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with recurrent C. difficile infection or those at high risk for C. difficile–associated colitis could benefit from future therapies developed using this framework.
✕Less likely to help
This grant is focused on preclinical modeling; there is no direct patient enrollment in this project.
What this research studies
This project aims to build a quantitative framework that links the components and actions of living bacterial therapeutics to their effects in the human gut, using C. difficile as the test case. Researchers will apply physics-informed active machine learning to model interactions among gut bacteria, antibiotics, and host factors to predict which bacteria and designs could best suppress C. difficile. The work focuses on identifying key inputs and outputs, potential failure modes, and scalable approaches to guide future development of precision microbiome therapies. Patient-facing aspects include optimizing therapies that could reduce recurrent infections and improve gut health with fewer antibiotic-related risks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the framework could accelerate development of safe, effective bacterial therapies to prevent or treat C. difficile and related gut disease.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that gut microbiota pieces can influence C. difficile, but a formal, predictive framework is still emerging, making this approach novel.
Where this research is happening
-
Duke University
Durham, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Venturelli, Ophelia — Duke University
- Study coordinator: Venturelli, Ophelia
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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.