Grant: Project Grant

Northern Indigenous communities view H. pylori infection as a health research priority because of its link to stomach cancer, which occurs more frequently in northern Canada than on average across the nation. Compared to southern Canadians, this infection is diagnosed more often in northern Indigenous Canadians, in whom it also causes more severe disease and is more difficult to cure. This proposal was developed in partnership with Northwest Territories (NT) and Yukon (YT) communities that seek research aimed at explaining why this common infection causes a disproportionate health burden in their region. The Canadian North Helicobacter pylori (CANHelp) Working Group conducts community-driven research on H. pylori infection, with projects in 4 NT and 5 YT communities. We propose to conduct a genomic analysis of H. pylori bacteria cultured from stomach biopsies of 274 community project participants. Genomic studies examine an organism's genome (its full set of genes). We will describe features of genomes of the H. pylori strains that infect residents of participating communities and investigate whether these genomic features determine how H. pylori infection impacts stomach health among participants. Our proposed research aims to: describe genomic features of H. pylori strains and how they are distributed across NT and YT communities; examine the relatedness of H. pylori strains within household, families, and communities; and estimate associations of genomic features with disease severity. The CANHelp Working Group has a unique collection of H. pylori isolated from northern Indigenous communities, along with clinical outcome data. It is one of few population-based collections of H. pylori in the world. Thus, the proposed research has the potential to advance knowledge of H. pylori genomics in human populations while furthering community-driven biomedical research that addresses priorities of Indigenous Canadian communities.