# Longitudinal Study of the Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth Microbiome and Its Effect on Growth and Neurodevelopment in Malnourished Children

> **NIH NIH K23** · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $177,550

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Candidate: I am Assistant Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Virginia Commonwealth University
(VCU), which has a research-intensive school of medicine. I have conducted research under my mentor Dr.
William Petri for 4 years and have 10 publications, 4 as first author. I have presented at the last 3 annual
meetings of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and have secured research funding from
the VCU Children's Hospital Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Pantheryx, Inc.
Career Development Plan/Career Goals & Objectives: It is my goal to become an independently funded
clinical researcher with expertise in designing and conducting trials to understand and mitigate the
effect of infectious diseases on child health in low-income settings. To this end, I will take several
classes in clinical research design and implementation. I have an advisory committee of successfully funded
researchers with similar interests to my own that have proven track records in mentoring young scientists.
Research Plan: The work proposed in this K23 award will take place utilizing two existing cohort studies
currently being conducted by my mentor, Dr. Petri, and our collaborators in Bangladesh.
Specific Aim 1: Test if a positive GHBT in infancy is predictive of future stunting and
neurodevelopmental deficits in Bangladeshi children. Plan: Using an ongoing birth cohort, I will measure
GHBT at four time points in the first two years of life and test for an association with anthropometric outcomes
and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development.
Specific Aim 2: Define the structure and function of the duodenal microbiome associated with GHBT.
Additionally, test if the duodenal microbiome correlates with the fecal microbiome in GHBT positive
infants. Plan: We will perform 16S rDNA V4 sequencing on duodenal and fecal samples from Bangladeshi
children with and without a positive GHBT. In a subset, we will also perform metagenomic sequencing to
investigate how this dysbiosis affects the metabolic function of the enteric microbiome, focusing on hydrogen
production and consumption.
Mentor/Co-Mentor(s), and Collaborator(s): The primary mentor of this K23, Dr. William Petri, has a 30-year
record of NIH Funding and excellent mentorship. My advisory committee and collaborators include experts in
microbiome studies, enteric pathogens, malnutrition, environmental enteropathy, and pediatric investigation.
Environment and Institutional Commitment to the Candidate: I have access to fantastic resources at VCU, the
University of Virginia, and The International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh. I have a
strong commitment from my department and division assuring 75% protected research time and support of my
continued mentorship under Dr. Petri at the University of Virginia. Further, the Dean of Research at the VCU
School of Medicine sits on my advisory committee demonstrating phenomenal institutional support...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9998992
- **Project number:** 5K23HD097282-02
- **Recipient organization:** VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffrey Ryan Donowitz
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $177,550
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-08-19 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9998992

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9998992, Longitudinal Study of the Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth Microbiome and Its Effect on Growth and Neurodevelopment in Malnourished Children (5K23HD097282-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9998992. Licensed CC0.

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