# EFFECTS OF INFANT NUTRITION ON FECAL RESISTOME ESTABLISHMENT

> **NIH NIH K08** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $154,901

## Abstract

Project Summary
My research interests include the development of the neonatal enteric microbiome, with a current focus
on community-encoded functions such as antibiotic resistance or metabolic functions. I have worked since
2009 in the laboratory of Gautam Dantas, Ph.D.; during this time I have become proficient in a variety of
benchtop techniques necessary for work in microbiology and genomics research, have taken classes in
statistics and computer programming, and gained experience analyzing increasingly large and complex
collections of metagenomic data. I have collaborated with colleagues with expertise in genetics, microbiology,
gastroenterology, statistics, and neonatology, resulting in several publications. This proposal includes further
didactic training in bioinformatics and computational biology, with a focus on enhancing my skills and
knowledge in programming, statistics, and systems biology, as well as a research plan that will complement my
formal coursework by providing ample opportunity for me to apply these skills. I will continue to work with my
mentors Gautam Dantas, Ph.D., an expert in community-wide functions of human gut and soil bacteria and
Phillip Tarr, MD, an physician-scientist who is a leader in the field of pediatric microbiome research, and has a
track record of mentoring junior scientists to independence. My oversight committee includes Barak Cohen,
Ph.D., an expert in computational and systems biology, William Shannon, Ph.D., an expert in biostatistics, and
F. Sessions Cole, MD, an expert in genetics and translational research. The ongoing mentorship of these
collaborators with diverse areas of expertise will enhance my didactic and hands-on training and, combined
with my clinical experience as an academic neonatologist, will prepare me for an independent career as a
physician scientist investigating the impact of the human microbiome on neonatal health.
The research project described in this proposal is potentially clinically relevant, as bacterial resistance
to all antibiotics urgently threatens human health. The antibiotic resistance genes harbored by the human gut
microbiota (fecal resistome) are an epidemiologically important genetic reservoir that can potentially transfer
resistance to human pathogens. Understanding the clinical determinants of fecal resistance gene carriage may
lead to novel strategies to combat the spread of resistant organisms in human communities. Our recent work
has indicated that the fecal resistome of healthy children is far more diverse than previously suspected, and
suggests that the fecal resistome is established in early infancy, with infant resistomes being distinct from their
mothers' in by 1-2 months of life and developing similarly to their twin siblings'. The goal of this proposal is to
test the hypothesis that infant diet significantly influences fecal resistome and fecal microbial community
development.
Prior work by me and my mentors Dr. Dantas and Dr. Tarr has shown that fun...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9918341
- **Project number:** 5K08DK102673-05
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Aimee M Moore
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $154,901
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-07-01 → 2020-09-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9918341

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9918341, EFFECTS OF INFANT NUTRITION ON FECAL RESISTOME ESTABLISHMENT (5K08DK102673-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9918341. Licensed CC0.

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