Biocodex Microbiota Foundation Announces Open Call For 2022 US Microbiome Research Grant

By Erin Cahill.
Updated Jun 22, 2022

BEDMINSTER, N.J. (PRWEB) June 22, 2022 - The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation, an organization founded by Biocodex, is committed to inspiring scientific projects that investigate the implication of microbiota in human health, and is announcing the 2022 open call for applications for its annual US research grant. The $50,000 research grant, now in its 6th year, is juried by a panel of medical and scientific experts in the field and will be awarded to a US-based, early-career investigator studying gut microbiota in human health and disease, and can be applied to a new or existing study. The application can be downloaded here and deadline for entry is October 1, 2022, 5PM EST.

'The study of the gut microbiota and its role in human health and disease, including Covid-19, sleep disorders, the brain-gut axis and other evolving areas, is crucial for understanding the connections of the gut with the rest of the body, along with the discovery of novel health management solutions for these conditions, says Julien Dureisseix, General Manager of Biocodex, Inc. The Biocodex Microbiota Foundations mission is to help advance the research and understanding of human microbiota, and why we are calling on inspired early career researchers in the microbiome field to submit proposals for funding to help support their projects.'

This will be the sixth consecutive year the Biocodex Microbiota Foundation has awarded the $50,000 US grant. Last year, Julia Brown, MD, PhD., who is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College, received the grant to help further her research into the neonatal gut microbiome and its role in lung immune development and antiviral immunity.

The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation grant has helped further the efforts to understand how the microbiome contributes to the heightened risks of severe RSV in preterm infants by dysregulating the immune response, Dr. Brown explains. We are currently working to identify specific bacteria or metabolites that are responsible for these effects, which could potentially offer therapeutic strategies to improve immune function in preterm infants by manipulating the microbiome.

Other Biocodex Microbiota Foundation $50,000 grant recipients include:

The Biocodex Microbiota Foundation's annual call for grant applications is part of a multi-year research initiative to understand the interaction between microbiota and different pathologies. The applications will be reviewed, and recipient selected, by the US Biocodex Microbiota Foundation's scientific board, comprised of Dr. Ruth Ann Luna from Texas Children's Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Emeran Mayer from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and Dr. Erica Sonnenburg from Stanford University.

The ideal candidate is a US-based researcher with five or less years of research experience within the microbiota field seeking to establish themselves as an independent researcher. All completed applications must be sent to USAFoundation@biocodex.com by the October 1, 2022 deadline. Late or incomplete applications, or those that don't meet the criteria of the grant program or research topic will not be considered.

To learn more information about Biocodex Microbiota Foundation and the 2022 US grant program click here.