Washington, DC, USA
January 24, 2017

Millions of microbes living on and in the human body collectively make up our microbiomes. These microbial ecosystems help keep us healthy. The same processes are at work in other animals, as well as in plants.

To better understand the role microbiomes play in human health and in ecosystems around the world, the National Science Foundation's (NSF) Directorate for Biological Sciences has awarded $3 million in Early Concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER). In addition to microbiomes, the research will focus on plant and animal phenomics -- the study of the physical and biochemical traits of organisms as they change in response to genetic mutations and environmental influences.

The findings will foster improved human health and agricultural productivity and more efficient use of natural resources, such as land and water.

"These studies will lead to a better understanding of how microbial communities interact with one another and with their plant and animal hosts," says James Olds, NSF assistant director for Biological Sciences. "The results have the potential to improve human health through, for example, new insights into antibiotic resistance, and may contribute to discoveries of new bioactive compounds and the development of more efficient and sustainable food production."

The funding is a joint effort between NSF and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This is the first year the two agencies have partnered on research in the emerging areas of microbiomes and phenomics.

EAGER-funded projects will include research on:

• Technologies that increase the accuracy and speed of microbiome and phenotype data acquisition.
• Extending the diversity of phenotypes that can be measured.
• Automation and mechanization -- including the use of robotics and sensors -- for phenotyping, the process of predicting an organism's observable traits based on its DNA.
• Technologies to identify the metabolic activities of particular microbes within a microbiome, and to increase knowledge of biochemical communication between microbes, and between microbes and their hosts.
• New modeling approaches that address questions in microbiome or phenotype structure and function.

The NSF EAGER awards are listed below.

• Identifying Small Molecule Inhibitors, Emily Balskus, Harvard University
• High-throughput experimental methods to link mobile genetic elements with their bacterial hosts, Ilana Brito, Cornell University
• Microfluidic Root Exudate Sampler with High Spatio-Temporal Sampling Resolution, Liang Dong, Iowa State University
• Using novel, clone-free sequencing methods to discover host-microbe protein-protein interactions, Joseph Ecker, The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
• Introducing Gulliver - an autonomous device to grow and study microorganisms in situ, Slava Epstein, Northeastern University
• A Plant Observatory for remote sensing of biochemical reactions in vivo, Wolf Frommer, Carnegie Institution of Washington
• Microwell array platform for high-throughput screening and discovery of microbial interactions, Ryan Hansen, Kansas State University
• Single-locus multi-hormone reporters for comprehensive plant phenotyping: a synthetic-biology approach, Anna Stepanova, North Carolina State University
• Chemical exploration of microbiomes at ecological spatial scales, Matt Traxler, University of California, Berkeley
• Tools for Investigating Micron-Scale Spatial Organization of Microbial Communities, Jessica Welch, Marine Biological Laboratory

Website: http://www.nsf.gov

Published: January 25, 2017