As part of the second phase of the Human Microbiome Project, begun in 2007, the National Institutes of Health has awarded three grants for research projects over the next three years, and Stanford researchers are among the recipients.
A release notes that the trillions of microbes living on skin and other locations of the body constitute a normal human microbiome, and that this phase of the project funds research examining how and why alteration of it at various body sites promotes diseases:
Of the three projects, one joint project by research teams between Stanford University and Washington University in St. Louis will examine the microbes in the gut and nose and determine how alteration in certain microorganisms (for example during viral infections) may trigger the development of diseases such as diabetes. They will use several ‘omics’ approaches, including genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics to follow the dynamic changes in the microbiome and in the host over time.
Geneticist Michael Snyder, PhD, is a principal investigator of the Stanford/Washington University study.
Previously: ‘Omics’ profiling coming soon to a doctor’s office near you?, Cultivating the human microbiome, Contemplating how our human microbiome influences personal health and Top 10 1:2:1 podcasts for 2012