Research News

Understanding the connection microorganisms have with our bodies may enable the development of precision medicine and empower individuals to have greater control over their health.

By MARCENE ROBINSON

Published August 21, 2017

Four studies focused on improving our understanding of the humangenome and microbiome were awarded funding through the third roundof research pilots supported by UBs Community of Excellencein Genome, Environment and Microbiome (GEM).

The projects, which total $150,000, will study how therelationship between the human body and the collection ofmicroorganisms that reside on or within it affect our risk forcertain diseases.

Understanding the connection these microorganisms have with ourbodies may enable the development of precision medicine and empowerindividuals to have greater control over their health.

The pilot grants award researchers from a variety of disciplinesup to $50,000 to develop innovative projects focused on themicrobiome. The funds support up to one year of research.

The awards are provided through GEM, an interdisciplinarycommunity of UB faculty and staff dedicated to advancing researchon the genome and microbiome. GEM is one of UBs threeCommunities of Excellence, a $9 million initiative to harness thestrengths of faculty and staff from fields across the university toconfront the challenges facing humankind through research,education and engagement.

Changes in the genome our own or those of themicrobes in, on or around us have a tremendous impact onhuman health and our environment, says Jennifer Surtees, GEMco-director and associate professor in the Department ofBiochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and BiomedicalSciences.

With these newest projects, UB scientists from acrossdisciplines have come together to dig deeper into these changes andto help establish the infrastructure necessary for advancedprecision medicine.

Along with Surtees, GEM is led by Timothy Murphy, executivedirector and SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department ofMedicine; and Norma Nowak, co-director, professor in the Departmentof Biochemistry, and executive director of UBs New YorkState Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences.

The funded projects involve faculty teams from the Jacobs Schoolof Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the School of Public Healthand Health Professions, and the School of Dental Medicine.

Vulnerability to seizures

Inflammation in the central nervous system can increasesusceptibility to seizures.

Given the role the intestinal microbiome plays in shapinginflammation in the body, UB researchers believe the tiny organismsmay have an impact on the onset, strength and duration ofseizures.

The study, led by Ira J. Blader, professor in the Department ofMicrobiology and Immunology, and Alexis Thompson, senior researchscientist in UBs Research Institute on Addictions, willexamine in mice the composition of the microbiome and which of itscomponents affect seizures.

If correct, this may suggest the gut microbiome as a therapeutictarget for the treatment of seizures and epilepsy.

Genomic research with Spit For Buffalo

To better understand how the human genome and microbiomeinteract to influence health, UB researchers will establish SpitFor Buffalo, a project that will collect DNA samples from volunteerUBMD patients for use in future studies.

The researchers will collect saliva samples, anonymously linkthe samples to each patients electronic medical record, andsequence the genome and oral microbiome. By determining which genesare associated with which diseases, new connections betweenspecific genes and diseases will be made.

Samples currently are being collected from patients in the UBMDNeurology, Internal Medicine and OBGYN clinics in the ConventusCenter for Collaborative Medicine.

The project will provide an infrastructure resource for genomeand microbiome investigations at UB.

The research is led by Richard M. Gronostajski, professor in theDepartment of Biochemistry and director of both the WNY Stem CellCulture and Analysis Center and the Genetics, Genomics andBioinformatics Graduate Program; Gil I. Wolfe, professor and Irvinand Rosemary Smith Chair of the Department of Neurology; MichaelBuck, associate professor in the Department of Biochemistry anddirector of the WNY Stem Cell Sequencing/Epigenomics Center; andNowak.

How RNA provides parasite with shape-shifting abilities

The parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the cause of HumanAfrican Trypanosomiasis commonly known as sleeping sickness radically alters its physiology and morphology as it movesbetween insect and mammal over the course of its life cycle.

These changes, researchers have found, are caused by various RNAbinding proteins, allowing the organism to survive in environmentsthat range from the human bloodstream to the insect gut. UBresearchers will examine how these proteins regulate theparasites transformations.

The study is led by Laurie K. Read, professor in the Departmentof Microbiology and Immunology; and Jie Wang, research assistantprofessor in the Department of Biochemistry.

Effects of oral and gut bacteria on heart health

UB researchers will investigate the connection between oral andgut bacteria and the onset and progression of atheroscleroticcardiovascular disease (CVD), or the buildup of plaque around theartery walls that eventually blocks blood flow.

The study will seek to understand how the microbes in the bodycontribute to plaque formation in the arteries, providing the basisfor interventions that reduce the effects of the microorganisms onCVD.

Previous studies have found microbes present in arterialplaques, but have not provided conclusive links to the parts of thebody where the microbes originate. Researchers will usenext-generation sequencing and advanced bioinformatics analysismethods to identify and characterize microorganisms in the arterywalls and compare the bacteria with those present in oral, gut andskin microbiomes.

Environmental factors such as smoking, blood cholesterol andperiodontal disease status also will be examined as potentialfactors that influence the bacteria-CVD relationship.

The research is led by Robert J. Genco, SUNY DistinguishedProfessor in the departments of Oral Biology and Microbiology andImmunology, and director of the UB Microbiome Center; and MichaelJ. LaMonte, research associate professor in the Department ofEpidemiology and Environmental Health.

Original post:
GEM awards $150000 in third round of funding for microbiome and genomic research - University at Buffalo Reporter