U54AG089323
Cooperative Agreement
Overview
Grant Description
The Oro-Respiratory-Gut Virome Axis Over Space and Time - Overall - Abstract
The human virome is vast, differs among human individuals, and changes over the human lifespan.
While the virome influences human health in diverse ways, true understanding of its impact is limited by incomplete characterization of the human virome composition.
The goal of the Penn Virome Characterization Center (VCC), titled “The Oro-Respiratory-Gut Virome Axis Over Space and Time”, is to define the human virome and its dynamics in priority body sites in generally healthy individuals without acute illnesses, reflecting typical US populations across diverse lifespan and community participants.
Our program will provide key insights into virome composition, richness and complexity, and produce extensive data and methodologies for future studies of disease associations.
We will focus on key body sites identified by the NIH Human Virome Program as priority targets, including oral/dental, gut (fecal), respiratory tract (upper and lower) and blood.
Our collaborative team has published extensively on the microbiome and virome, and in the course of these studies assembled unique cohorts with biobanked specimen repositories suitable for rapid initiation of the Penn VCC program.
Most of our sampling is from an urban setting in the Mid-Atlantic region, so that African Americans are particularly well represented.
To achieve our goals, the Penn VCC will:
(A) Take advantage of rich in hand biobanks of human samples for rapid efficient analysis, and enroll and phenotype new subjects to obtain longitudinal oro-respiratory-gut-blood specimens, from existing cohorts of healthy children, adolescents, adults and elderly individuals;
(B) Comprehensively describe and quantify virome populations from distinct oro-respiratory-gut-blood sites, including viruses of humans, bacteria, and human eukaryotic commensals, and implement methods for molecular identification of host cells for novel viruses and characterization of viral DNA modification;
(E) Define the commonalities and differences of virome communities across oro-respiratory-gut biogeography and blood over time within individuals and between age groups;
(F) Protect participants, investigators, and NIH by ensuring adherence to ethical norms and regulatory requirements, while conducting rigorous legal and qualitative research that addresses unanswered questions raised by human virome research that will inform future policy and research practice via our ethical, legal, and social implications core;
(G) Ensure harmonization and integration with other VCCs of the Human Virome Program, and establish open sharing of data to maximize research value;
(H) Support collaborative research among HVP investigators using specimens, data, and novel insights generated through the VCC; and
(I) Ensure representation of traditionally under-studied populations as research participants, and enhance diversity and inclusion within the virology, microbiome and computational biology research communities.
The human virome is vast, differs among human individuals, and changes over the human lifespan.
While the virome influences human health in diverse ways, true understanding of its impact is limited by incomplete characterization of the human virome composition.
The goal of the Penn Virome Characterization Center (VCC), titled “The Oro-Respiratory-Gut Virome Axis Over Space and Time”, is to define the human virome and its dynamics in priority body sites in generally healthy individuals without acute illnesses, reflecting typical US populations across diverse lifespan and community participants.
Our program will provide key insights into virome composition, richness and complexity, and produce extensive data and methodologies for future studies of disease associations.
We will focus on key body sites identified by the NIH Human Virome Program as priority targets, including oral/dental, gut (fecal), respiratory tract (upper and lower) and blood.
Our collaborative team has published extensively on the microbiome and virome, and in the course of these studies assembled unique cohorts with biobanked specimen repositories suitable for rapid initiation of the Penn VCC program.
Most of our sampling is from an urban setting in the Mid-Atlantic region, so that African Americans are particularly well represented.
To achieve our goals, the Penn VCC will:
(A) Take advantage of rich in hand biobanks of human samples for rapid efficient analysis, and enroll and phenotype new subjects to obtain longitudinal oro-respiratory-gut-blood specimens, from existing cohorts of healthy children, adolescents, adults and elderly individuals;
(B) Comprehensively describe and quantify virome populations from distinct oro-respiratory-gut-blood sites, including viruses of humans, bacteria, and human eukaryotic commensals, and implement methods for molecular identification of host cells for novel viruses and characterization of viral DNA modification;
(E) Define the commonalities and differences of virome communities across oro-respiratory-gut biogeography and blood over time within individuals and between age groups;
(F) Protect participants, investigators, and NIH by ensuring adherence to ethical norms and regulatory requirements, while conducting rigorous legal and qualitative research that addresses unanswered questions raised by human virome research that will inform future policy and research practice via our ethical, legal, and social implications core;
(G) Ensure harmonization and integration with other VCCs of the Human Virome Program, and establish open sharing of data to maximize research value;
(H) Support collaborative research among HVP investigators using specimens, data, and novel insights generated through the VCC; and
(I) Ensure representation of traditionally under-studied populations as research participants, and enhance diversity and inclusion within the virology, microbiome and computational biology research communities.
Funding Goals
NOT APPLICABLE
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding Agency
Place of Performance
Pennsylvania
United States
Geographic Scope
State-Wide
Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania was awarded
Human Virome Dynamics: Oro-Respiratory-Gut Axis Study
Cooperative Agreement U54AG089323
worth $4,000,000
from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in February 2025 with work to be completed primarily in Pennsylvania United States.
The grant
has a duration of 5 years and
was awarded through assistance program 93.310 Trans-NIH Research Support.
The Cooperative Agreement was awarded through grant opportunity Human Virome Characterization Centers (U54 Clinical Trial Not Allowed).
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 1/21/25
Period of Performance
2/1/25
Start Date
1/31/30
End Date
Funding Split
$4.0M
Federal Obligation
$0.0
Non-Federal Obligation
$4.0M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
U54AG089323
SAI Number
U54AG089323-2405336025
Award ID URI
SAI UNAVAILABLE
Awardee Classifications
Private Institution Of Higher Education
Awarding Office
75NN00 NIH NATIONAL INSITUTE ON AGING
Funding Office
75NA00 NIH OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR
Awardee UEI
GM1XX56LEP58
Awardee CAGE
7G665
Performance District
PA-90
Senators
Robert Casey
John Fetterman
John Fetterman
Modified: 1/21/25