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Supercharging Science for the Superorganism Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, National Institutes of Health Human Microbiome Science: Vision for the Future

July 24, 2013

“Science in pursuit of fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to extend healthy life and reduce illness and disability.”

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NIH: Steward of Medical and Behavioral Research for the Nation

Human Microbiome at NIH: Coming Full Circle New science of microbiology: NIH established 1887

– “Hygienic lab” tests samples for infectious diseases

New understandings of genetics – Mid 20th century: NIH helps crack genetic code – 1990-2003: NIH leads Human Genome Project

21st century: genomic return to microbiology – Ecological approach to our “fellow travelers” – Nobel Prize winner – and NIH grantee – Joshua Lederberg

proposes term “microbiome”

Understanding the Human Microbiome: From Lederberg’s Concept … to HMP

“We should think of each host and its parasites as a superorganism with the respective genomes yoked into a chimera of sorts.”

“… microbiome, to signify the ecological community of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic microorganisms that literally share our body space and have been all but ignored as determinants of health and disease.”

Joshua Lederberg (1925-2008)

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Cost of Sequencing a Human Genome September 2001–January 2013

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Demonstrating Feasibility

First Analysis of Genes of a Community of Human Microbes

NIH Human Microbiome Project and the NIH Common Fund (and its predecessor, the NIH Roadmap) Facilitating Research Across Disciplines

Projects must be: Truly transforming

Require participation of NIH as a whole

– Address gaps no single IC or outside entity is likely to fill

Place outcomes in public domain

Need development in “incubator space” to jumpstart field

Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Fusobacterium fusiforme

The Human Microbiome Project Total # cells

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Human Microbiome Project Contributes to International Effort

Metagenomics of the Human Intestinal Tract, European Commission

MicroObes, Human Intestinal Microbiome in Obesity and Nutritional Transition, French National Agency for Research

HMP, NIH Common Fund

Canadian Microbiome Initiative

Korean Microbiome Diversity Using Korean Twin Cohort Project

Research programs and members include:

http://www.human-microbiome.org/

Australian Jumpstart Human Microbiome Project

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Beyond HMP: Additional NIH Support for Human Microbiome-related Research FY2010–FY2012

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The Human Microbiome: Transforming Our Understanding of Health and Disease

Herbivores

Omnivores Carnivores

NIH… Turning Discovery Into Health