Grant: Doctoral Research Award - Priority Announcement - Infection and Immunity

Patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) have chronic inflammation located in the paranasal sinuses. This causes symptoms such as congestion, difficulty breathing, pain, pressure, and reduced sense of smell and taste. CRS can occur when the sinuses become blocked and filled with fluid and cause a sinus infection. Research has shown that persistent bacterial infection and bacterial biofilm formation, which is a collective of microorganisms that grow on surfaces, can be found in patients with reoccurring CRS. Current methods for treating CRS have been largely unsuccessful and could potentially lead to increased antimicrobial resistance. An imbalance in the bacteria, called dysbiosis, is linked to diseases like CRS. The community of bacteria in the sinuses, called the sinonasal microbiome, can become disrupted in patients. Sinonasal microbiota transplant (SNMT) is a new proposed therapy and the mechanism is not known. We hypothesize that SNMT, which is transferring healthy microorganisms from a healthy donor to the sinus cavity of a patient, could be a new and advanced form of therapy for CRS patients. It would work by re-colonising the diseased sinus cavities with healthy donor microbiota, thereby producing a newly intact and functional microbiota. We would like to investigate whether SNMT will change the microbiota of CRS patients, thereby preventing recurrence of sinus infections. We will assess clinical parameters of the patients to assess safety of SNMT and assess efficacy of SNMT by characterizing the microbiome. If this SNMT approach is successful, this could result in new treatment options for patients with CRS. CRS is known to be debilitating and patients suffer with chronic symptoms and complications. This could provide relief of symptoms, reduce disease burden, and help improve their quality of life.