Whole genome sequencing of key foodborne bacteria to support animal and public health
Official title: Whole genome sequencing of bacterial isolates of special interest: Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter
Funded at University of Minnesota · NIH-11528946 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will sequence and publicly share the complete genomes of Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter isolated from animals to improve understanding of these pathogens and help prevent disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Minnesota NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Minneapolis, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $85,499 |
| NIH project number | 1U18FD008944-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11528946 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable — this grant does not involve direct patient participation.
✕Less likely to help
There is no direct patient participation in this project.
What this research studies
This project will select representative bacterial isolates from a large local collection and perform long-read genome sequencing using ONT technology. The resulting genomes will be published to expand public data resources for animal and public health investigations. By focusing on isolates with notable resistance patterns and serotypes, the effort aims to enhance tracking and understanding of outbreaks and contamination sources. The work is carried out at the University of Minnesota under a U18 mechanism and will contribute to national surveillance and food safety efforts.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Public health and animal health teams will gain better, openly available genome data to investigate and control outbreaks more effectively.
How similar studies have gone: Other pathogen genomics projects have successfully expanded public genome collections and improved outbreak investigations.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Minnesota
Minneapolis, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rovira, Albert — University of Minnesota
- Study coordinator: Rovira, Albert
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.