Project description
Frogs can teach us to harness the microbiome for health
The skin is home to microbes that can protect against infection. But how do hosts control which microbes stay and which are kept out? The ERC-funded FROGMICRO project aims to answer this by studying frogs, whose skin microbiome can help them fight the deadly chytrid fungus that has wiped out amphibian populations worldwide. Using the common midwife toad as a model, researchers will explore how immune systems guide beneficial microbes, how these microbes adapt and whether host control can be used to create natural, transmissible microbial therapies. Combining genomics, glycomics, proteomics, AI and fieldwork, FROGMICRO could reveal new ways to engineer healthy microbiomes.
Objective
The epithelial surfaces of animals harbour symbiont communities that influence the health of their hosts, including defending against pathogens. Whilst microbiome effects on host biology have been extensively studied, much less is known about how hosts regulate their microbiomes to ensure that they are pThe epithelial surfaces of animals harbour symbiont communities that influence the health of their hosts, including defending against pathogens. Whilst microbiome effects on host biology have been extensively studied, much less is known about how hosts regulate their microbiomes to ensure that they are populated by beneficial rather than harmful symbionts. The study of host control is critical for both understanding how microbiomes function and for the development of targeted therapies. To meet this need, I will develop an amphibian skin model to ask three key questions exploring host control across major life-stages: 1) How does host control promote symbiont colonization? 2) How does host immune policing and symbiont counter-adaptation shape the microbiome? 3) Can host control be exploited to select transmissible protective microbial therapies? I will examine these questions using the deadly chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) that is devastating amphibian populations worldwide, and the highly susceptible common midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans), which can be defended by its dermal symbionts. The project has risks, with microbial communities being ecologically complex and fundamental aspects of host biology that are relevant to symbiont control not fully understood. To overcome these challenges, I will apply a combination of novel approaches in glycobiology, proteomics, competition experiments, genomics, in vivo experimentation, AI computer vision and field work. By identifying the major drivers of host control, this project promises to transform our ability to predict microbial community assembly and develop protective symbiont 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.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins proteomics
- natural sciences biological sciences microbiology mycology
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Programme(s)
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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)
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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
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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
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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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E1 4NS LONDON
United Kingdom
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