# Gnotobiotic Core

> **NIH NIH P01** · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · 2024 · $314,840

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Intestinal fungi, including Candida species, are normal components of the human intestinal microbiota that can
escape the intestinal niche and trigger autoimmunity or inflammatory disease. There is a significant knowledge
gap in the understanding of how fungi colonize the intestine and the factors that limit their colonization and
translocation across the intestinal barrier. The goal of this Program Project Grant (P01) is to identify factors that
regulate Candida intestinal colonization. Published and preliminary data from the Project Leaders suggest that
fungal, bacterial, and host factors all interact to regulate Candida colonization of the intestine. Dissection of these
complex interkingdom interactions requires in vivo experimental systems that allow for controlled manipulation
of fungal colonizers, the bacterial microbiota, and the host immune system. Gnotobiotic mouse models, involving
the use of germ-free mice, provide a platform for developing such experimental systems. The mission of the
Gnotobiotic Core is therefore to provide gnotobiotic mouse models to each of the three projects in this P01.
Germ-free mice will be used to create defined experimental models where we introduce a single bacterial or
fungal species, defined species mixtures, or complex communities transplanted from other experimental animals
or humans. Further, these experiments will be conducted in germ-free genetically modified mice to explore the
contributions of host factors. The Gnotobiotic Core builds on extensive existing gnotobiotic infrastructure and the
long-standing expertise of Core Leader Hooper’s lab in developing and using gnotobiotic models to study many
different aspects of host-microbiota interactions in the intestine. The Aims of the Gnotobiotic Core will be to 1)
provide germ-free or selectively colonized wild-type or mutant mice to test hypotheses about how the bacterial
microbiota regulates Candida colonization of the intestinal tract; and 2) derive additional germ-free immune-
deficient mouse strains to test hypotheses about how host immunity and its interactions with the bacterial
microbiome impact Candida colonization. Pursuit of these goals will allow us to build gnotobiotic mouse models
that enable experimental dissection of the fungal, bacterial, and host factors that regulate Candida colonization.
These studies in gnotobiotic mice will provide novel insights into interactions among intestinal fungi, bacteria,
and the host immune system, thus revealing fundamental principles about fungal colonization of the intestine.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10763694
- **Project number:** 1P01AI179406-01
- **Recipient organization:** SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH
- **Principal Investigator:** TOBIAS M HOHL
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $314,840
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-04-01 → 2029-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10763694

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10763694, Gnotobiotic Core (1P01AI179406-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10763694. Licensed CC0.

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