# Elucidating ecological mechanisms for propagation of antibiotic resistance genes via massively parallelized single-cell sequencing

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON · 2021 · $194,167

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The accelerating emergence of antibiotics resistant bacteria has become a global health crisis, costing tens of
thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars every year. Horizontal transfer of antibiotics resistance
genes (ARGs) is a key mechanism driving the emergence of antibiotic resistant strains, but the ecological
processes impacting the transmission of these genes through microbial communities are largely unknown. To
address this knowledge gap, we propose to develop an ultrahigh-throughput single cell sequencing technology
to identify the associations between ARGs and microbial taxa. This method will be used to decipher the time-
dependent horizontal gene transfer networks underlying ARG spread in a human gut microbiome in response to
clinically relevant antibiotics. The new technology will enable single cell analysis of microbial communities at an
unprecedented scale. Deciphering the horizontal gene transfer networks responsible for ARG dissemination will
deepen our understanding of the ecological interactions involved in the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria
and inform the design of interventions to substantially reduce ARG propagation. A detailed understanding of the
environmental and ecological factors influencing horizontal gene transfer is critical to combating infectious
diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10108008
- **Project number:** 1R21AI156438-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
- **Principal Investigator:** Ophelia Venturelli
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $194,167
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-03-02 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10108008

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10108008, Elucidating ecological mechanisms for propagation of antibiotic resistance genes via massively parallelized single-cell sequencing (1R21AI156438-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10108008. Licensed CC0.

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