Grant: Canadian Microbiome Initiative - LOI

Humans live in close association with trillions of microbes, most of which reside in our gastrointestinal tracts. Recently, there has been an explosion of interest in these microbial populations, whose functions have profound impact on our health. Most of the current research has been aimed at identifying the bacteria involved and studying their population dynamics. However, very little has been learned about the actual functions of these populations and how they can impact other beneficial microbes, pathogens and the host. Here we propose to investigate the chemical language used by intestinal and other microbes to communicate with each other as well as with host cells and tissues. Such studies will provide approaches to new therapeutic agents that could aid in the maintenance of gut homeostasis or recovery after insults such as infections, antibiotic treatments, or inflammatory diseases.