Closing The Clinical Translation Gap Of The Gut Microbiome In Chronic Diseases
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,337,350.00
Summary
The gut microbiota is important for human health and disease but knowledge transfer to clinical practice is lacking. This proposal will investigate how diet & gut microbiota changes connect with physical symptoms, mental health & behavioural issues in chronic diseases, using cystic fibrosis & autism spectrum disorder as models of disease. Improved understanding can improve management, assist in developing targeted therapies & is key to providing real-world solutions to improve outcomes.
HIV incidence remains exceptionally high in young South African women. I will leverage samples collected during two funded clinical studies in South Africa to investigate the relationships between female reproductive tract inflammation, microbiome communities and function, contraceptive use and HIV acquisition. This study will improve our understanding of the factors that influence HIV infection in this key population, as well as HIV incidence globally.