# Functional Genomics & Microbiome Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $192,018

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY: Functional Genomics and Microbiome Core (Biomedical Research Core)
The Functional Genomics and Microbiome (FGM) Core of the Texas Medical Center Digestive Disease Center
(DDC) supports the DDC’s mission and enhances research programs in the theme of infection and injury
affecting the intestine and liver. This core enhances the Center’s scope in response to DDC user demand and
the center’s commitment to the importance of the microbiome:mammalian interface in gastrointestinal and liver
biology. The FGM Core strives to bring together the microbial and mammalian biology underpinning molecular
mechanisms of digestive diseases. It accomplishes this purpose via multi-omics approaches based on large-
scale data generation and deep analytics of microbial and mammalian cell populations.
The FGM Core is a comprehensive resource with services including consultation on experimental design and
specimen processing, robust data generation and analysis pipelines, bioinformatics strategies, and biostatistical
support. We have created a fully integrated genomic and multi-omic analysis platform for investigators studying
digestive diseases that is highly used by DDC members (25 of 62 Full Member usage, >680 service requests,
and 83 resulting publications during the present funding cycle).
The FGM Core provides DDC members with instrumentation and expertise to facilitate microbial and mammalian
genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, and protein analytics applied to gastrointestinal diseases
characterized by infection, injury, or altered metabolic states. DDC members’ research programs are nurtured
by this Core’s ability to bridge microbiome science and mammalian biology and to provide multi-tiered services
at the levels of genes and effectors (proteins and metabolites). This Core uses tools and services, such as highly
parallel nucleic acid sequencing, mass spectrometry-guided metabolomics and proteomics, and supercomputer-
guided bioinformatics and molecular modeling. The FGM Core serves as a platform for gastrointestinal and
hepatic systems biology by enabling studies of mammalian and microbial gene expression profiles, intracellular
signaling pathways, and cell:cell communication channels.
The FGM Core offers highly innovative services that are both institutionally shared and DDC member-exclusive.
The Core leverages for DDC members (at subsidized rates) the capital-intensive resources (chiefly
instrumentation) within the institutional microbiome and mammalian functional genomics facilities to accomplish
its Aims 1 (to elucidate mammalian gene expression and epigenomics in DD) and Aim 2 (to generate functional
insights into microbiome/virome using metagenomic approaches). The liquid chromatography-mass
spectrometry-based metabolomic and proteomic services (Aim 3) coupled with advanced bioinformatics (Aim 4)
are exclusively operated for DDC members.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10920364
- **Project number:** 5P30DK056338-22
- **Recipient organization:** BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** James Versalovic
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $192,018
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-04-15 → 2028-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10920364

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10920364, Functional Genomics & Microbiome Core (5P30DK056338-22). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10920364. Licensed CC0.

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