Microbiome Research Explores New Frontiers at Third Annual Mountain West Microbiome Alliance Meeting
This March, leading scientists from across the Mountain West region joined forces at the third annual meeting of the Mountain West Microbiome Alliance (MoWMA), exploring the rapidly evolving field of how the microbes that live in and on our bodies can be leveraged to understand human health, improve health care, and provide real-world solutions to important problems.
“This is an amazing group of people,” said June Round, PhD, professor of pathology in the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah and a member of the alliance. “We represent five different states, 10 different institutions, 60 different PIs, and there are strengths at every institution. We’ve got clinicians, immunologists, chemists, basic scientists, bioinformaticians, microbiologists—the list goes on.”
Round added, “I think this is a unique opportunity for us to work together across institutions to move into novel areas of science. Our research is strengthened by the unique features of the Mountain West, spanning a dramatic range of elevation that includes both urban centers and rural frontiers.”
Promoting new ideas
Collaboration was a key feature of the symposium—from the start, participants had the opportunity to share their research interests for the future and find common ground with potential collaborators. For many of the speakers, the conference was their first time meeting the Alliance in person—providing ample opportunities for new connections to be made. Conference sessions were designed to foster active engagement, interactions and new ideas. Topics included:
- Thinking Outside the NIH Box — A session led by philanthropist David Cumming explored funding pathways besides government funding. The session included insights from business-minded leaders on securing support from industry and foundations, commercialization strategies, and the University of Utah Venture Fund.
- 2024 Seed Grant Highlights — Three collaborative research teams shared their plans to study multiple sclerosis using citizen science, learn how viruses change bacterial behavior, and investigate the origins of sepsis. The research projects, each of which involves investigators from multiple institutions, are funded by MoWMA’s annual seed grant program.
- Thinking Big: Envisioning the Future of Microbiome Research — Researchers joined forces across disciplines to brainstorm big-picture ideas for how microbiome research could help solve significant problems and improve peoples’ lives.
- Transforming microbiomes into therapeutic alternatives to antibiotics
- Creating farming and soil microbiome solutions to promote sustainable agriculture
- Developing personalized microbiome therapies that are accessible on a global scale, including those that benefit persons living in low-income countries and other resource-limited settings
The group’s collaborative nature is already bearing fruit, said Greg Caporaso, PhD, professor of biological sciences at Northern Arizona University and member of the MoWMA steering committee. “As a software engineer building microbiota data science platforms, it is important for me to connect with other scientists with distinct expertise to guide tool development,” he explained. “MoWMA has helped me to expand my scientific network.”
Sharing top-tier microbiome research
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from preeminent leaders in microbiome science.
- Seth Bordenstein, PhD, professor of biology and entomology in Eberly College of Science at the Pennsylvania State University, Dorothy Foehr Huck and J. Lloyd Huck Endowed Chair in Microbiome Sciences, and director of the One Health Microbiome Center
- Randy Longman, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of the Jill Roberts Center for IBD
- Vincent Young, MD, PhD, professor of internal medicine and microbiology & immunology at the University of Michigan and co-director of the Microbiome Core
Amiko Uchida, MD, was also named the inaugural recipient of the Gastroenterology and Microbiome Professorship in honor of John Fang, MD. As University of Utah Health’s first endowed chair dedicated specifically to microbiome research, this honor was made possible through a large community of donors and reinforces the U’s commitment to leading innovation in microbiome research.
Looking Ahead
While only in its third year, the group has already successfully submitted four new grant applications to support distinct projects. One grant has already been funded by the USDA, and the teams that wrote the applications have submitted several papers for publication. “These cross-institutional teams would not have formed in the absence of MoWMA,” said Ryan O’Connell, PhD, chief of microbiology and immunology at U of U Health and member of the MoWMA steering committee.
The Mountain West Microbiome Alliance remains committed to fostering an innovative and collaborative research community that advances microbiome science and its applications in health care. With the continued support of donors, academic institutions, and industry partners, the future of microbiome research promises to reshape medicine, agriculture, and global health in profound ways.
You can support microbiome research by visiting bit.ly/MicrobiomeMAGIC.
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This year’s symposium was made possible through generous support from the Cumming Foundation, as well as administrative support from the Department of Pathology.