Project description
Investigating the complex relationship between gut microbiota and medicinal drugs
The gut microbiota is a microbial community involved in developmental, immunological and metabolic functions in human hosts, and it also plays a role in medicinal drug response. The relationship between the gut microbiota and drugs is complex, and long-term exposure to drugs likely drives microbiome evolution. Human cohort studies suggest that non-antibiotic drugs also contribute to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The EU-funded DIMEvAR project aims to investigate the impact and consequences of long-term exposure to medicinal drugs on human gut microbiome evolution at the phenotypic and metabolic levels, and to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, including the hypothesis that non-antibiotic drugs induce stress-triggered microbial evolution.
Objective
The human gastrointestinal tract harbors trillions of microbes, known as the gut microbiota. This microbial community helps modulating developmental, immunological, and metabolic functions of the human host and it plays an important role in medicinal drug response. Several works showed the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiota and drugs. Medication modifies microbiome composition both in vitro and in the human gut. Further, commonly used drugs influence the microbiome metabolic functions and increase the abundance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in human cohort studies, suggesting that non-antibiotic drugs could contribute to the emergence of AMR. At the same time, microbiome-encoded enzymes can metabolize a wide range of medical drugs, participating in both beneficial and adverse effects. Considering that many drugs are used over extended periods of time to treat chronic diseases, long-term exposure to drugs may likely drive microbiome evolution. This could influence and evolve metabolic properties of gut microbes and lead to the emergence of novel AMR.
This project aims at better understanding the impact of long-term exposure to medical drugs on human gut microbiome evolution at the phenotypic and metabolic level, the underlying molecular mechanism, and their consequences in vivo. Based on previous data and in analogy to well-understood antibiotics, I hypothesize that non-antibiotic drugs might induce stress-triggered microbial evolution. The project follows three specific objectives: (i) Quantify the impact of drug-induced evolution on microbiome metabolism and antibiotic sensitivity; (ii) Determine the role of bacterial stress responses in microbiome evolution; (iii) Assess drug-induced microbiome evolution using gnotobiotic mouse models. If successful, this work will reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying microbiome-drug interactions and pave the way for their rational modulation to improve current and future drug therapies.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy pharmaceutical drugs antibiotics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine pharmacology and pharmacy drug resistance antibiotic resistance
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins enzymes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2020
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.