The USF Health Microbiome Institute recently announced winners of its 2022 Microbiomes Awards.
The Microbiome Awards help engage transdisciplinary research and collaboration across the academic community by providing financial assistance to novel projects that help lay the groundwork for microbiome research. Key findings and preliminary results from the work can also aid in pursuing full National Institutes of Health or National Science Foundation grant applications.
The USF Health Microbiome Institute is led by Christian Bréchot, MD, PhD, senior associate dean for research in global affairs at MCOM, associate vice president for international partnerships and innovation, and professor of internal medicine. Seed funding was provided by the Office of the USF Health Senior Vice President.
Encompassing a range of disciplines, this year’s awardees include many from USF Health, as well as faculty researchers from other USF areas, and emphasize transdisciplinary research integrating the strengths of different colleges.
The 2022 Microbiomes Awards recipients are:
Pilot projects:
Tara Randis, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine (Pediatrics and Molecular Medicine): “Maternal Dietary Intervention to Reduce Late-onset GBS Disease in Infants”
Shalini Jain, Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine:
“Microbiome in prognosis of cancer treatment comorbidities”
Subhra Mohapatra, Department of Molecular Medicine, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: “Long-COVID: Gut Dysbiosis in Diabetes”
Mark Kindy, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy: “Efficacy of Diversify®, a microbiome modulating drug, for seizure reduction and behavior modification in Angelman Syndrome mouse model”
Collaborative projects:
Stephanie Prescott, USF Health College of Nursing: “The Microbiome in Gestational Diabetes: Contribution to Race-Related Health Disparities”
George Philippidis, Patel College of Global Sustainability: “Bioprospecting of Natural Algicidal Bacteria Associated with Harmful Algal Blooms to Develop A Sustainable Microbiome-Based Mitigation Strategy for Red Tides”
Kirpal Bisht, Department of Chemistry, College of Arts and Sciences: “Tools to Profile Lectins of the Microbiome”
Jeffrey Cunningham, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering: “Microbiome of Denitrification Processes Facilitated by Iron-Sulfur Minerals”
Thao (Tina) Ho, Department of Pediatrics, USF Health Morsani College of Medicine: “The Role of Klebsiella in Intestinal Injury of Preterm Infants with Severe Anemia”
Ignite projects:
Umesh Jinwal, Pharmaceutical Sciences, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy: “Role of microbiome interactions with TDP-43 in ALS pathogenesis”
Shyam Mohapatra, USF Health Taneja College of Pharmacy: “Microbiome dysbiosis in mice following coronavirus infection”