The microbiome consists of multispecies communities of bacteria, fungi, archaea, and viruses living within humans or other animal hosts in a predominantly commensal or mutualistic relationship. Microbiome composition and activity vary between individuals and across individual lifecycles, shaped by deterministic and stochastic processes. Reciprocally, the composition and activity of the microbiome can impact diverse aspects of host biology, including metabolism, pathogen exclusion, and immunity. Research aimed at understanding the reciprocal interactions between the microbiome and the host immune system is a rapidly expanding field of study. Many recent studies have identified associations between the diversity and composition of the microbiome and the development, differentiation, or functionality of immune responses to infectious diseases and in response to vaccination. At present, substantial gaps in knowledge remain regarding how the relationship between host and microbiome are maintained, and how perturbations of those relationships affect immunity and pathogenesis.
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to support research aimed at elucidating the interplay between the microbiome and immune responses relevant to HIV-1, AIDS, or AIDS-related opportunistic infections and malignancies. The funding opportunity is a joint partnership between the Duke University Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the Duke Microbiome Center (DMC) and is intended to foster new inter-center collaborations.
Deadlines:
- Due Date for Letter of Intent: April 16, 2021
- Due Date for Proposals: , May 3, 2021
- The proposal must be submitted by a faculty-level CFAR investigator or DMC investigator and must address an NIH HIV/AIDS Research Priority.
- Post-doctoral and Clinical fellows are eligible as co-investigators or co-PIs on proposals led by a faculty-level collaborator (T32 awardees cannot use CFAR award for training or stipends).
- Faculty must have no prior R01 level funding in the HIV/AIDS field.
- Applicants with a current K award must have an approval letter from the K award program officer.
- Questions on eligibility should be directed to the CFAR Developmental Core
Applicants may request up to $60,000 in total direct costs for 1 year.