Project description
Precision microbiome therapy for dysbiosis-associated disorders
Dysbiosis-associated disorders are caused by disruption of the gut microbiome. However, existing therapies are untargeted and ineffective. The ERC-funded MicroRestore project aims to prove that metagenome-informed ecological rewiring of the gut microbiome holds promise as a therapy for dysbiosis-associated disorders by demonstrating efficacy in post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). The project will include observational studies, in silico, in vitro studies, and in vivo studies. It will establish target microbe populations in patients, simulate recovery strategies, and assess microbial therapies using gut simulators or mice. If successful, the therapy will be validated using a randomised study on PI-IBS patients. The goal is to take microbiome medicine forward from the bench to the bedside.
Objective
Gut microbiome disruption contributes to the so-called “dysbiosis-associated disorders”. Although the interindividual variability and plasticity of microbiome support its precise modulation, to date only untargeted treatments are available, mostly with inconsistent results. My preliminary data hint that tailored microbial therapy, guided by microbiome profiling, may improve post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS), a common but understudied dysbiosis-associated disease.
MicroRestore aims to prove that metagenome-informed ecological rewiring of gut microbiome can improve dysbiosis-associated disorders, using PI-IBS as disease model. I will apply a comprehensive multimodal approach, moving from observational/in-silico data to experimental in-vitro and in-vivo outputs to clinical validation. In Aim1 I will assess the microbiome of PI-IBS patients, identify target taxa by machine learning, build ecological models to predict recovery strategies (e.g. competition, pathobiont suppression, antagonism, mutualism, symbiont growth, full rewiring). Based on such strategies, in Aim2 I will use a gut simulator to test the effect of microbial therapeutics (antibiotics, prebiotics, microbial consortia, targeted fecal transplant) on patient microbiota, narrowing them down to build an ecological framework for microbial restoration. In parallel I will rig up known PI-IBS mouse models by colonizing germ-free and C. rodentium-infected mice with patient microbiota or target taxa. Then I will test down-selected interventions in such mice. In Aim3 I will validate this metagenome-informed, targeted framework for microbiome rewiring in a randomized trial of PI-IBS patients. My strategy may offer a notable clinical benefit to PI-IBS and other dysbiosis-associated diseases. By developing an innovative ecological approach for microbial therapy, MicroRestore will promote a microbiome-based precision medicine, filling the knowledge gap between science and clinical practice in this field
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 biological behavioural sciences ethology biological interactions
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology
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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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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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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.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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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) ERC-2025-STG
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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.
20123 MILANO
Italy
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.