Viruses in the mouth, airways, gut and blood across the lifespan
The Oro-Respiratory-Gut Virome Axis Over Space and Time
This project maps how viruses in the mouth, respiratory tract, gut and blood change over time in people of different ages.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261095 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be asked to provide samples such as swabs from the mouth and nose, stool, and blood at multiple time points so researchers can track viral communities. The team will use existing biobanked samples and enroll new community volunteers to build a large, longitudinal dataset. Most participants are recruited from an urban mid-Atlantic setting and the work focuses on generally healthy people without acute illness. The data and methods produced will help researchers link changes in the virome to health in future studies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are community-living people across the lifespan who are generally healthy and able to provide oral, respiratory, stool and blood samples, often from the Philadelphia/mid-Atlantic area.
Not a fit: People seeking immediate treatment for an existing infection or those with severe acute illness or advanced chronic disease are unlikely to receive direct clinical benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could give doctors and researchers a clearer baseline of normal viral communities and guide future prevention, diagnostics, or treatments tied to the virome.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies have successfully profiled human viromes and used biobanked samples, but this large, multi-site longitudinal effort is more comprehensive and builds on those methods.
Where this research is happening
Philadelphia, United States
- University of Pennsylvania — Philadelphia, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Collman, Ronald G — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Collman, Ronald G
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.