Scientists hope to better understand our world by studying tiny worlds of bacteria, fungi
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The University of Hawaii has received a $10 million grant to help scientists learn how bacteria, fungi, viruses and genetics impact human health.
The National Institutes of Health grant is designed to support research on microbiomes.
The research being conducted at UH looks at how food-borne pathogens establish on crops and also how fruit flies fight infections.
UH assistant researcher Andrea Jani says fruit flies serve an important purpose in microbiome research.
“Fruit flies allow us to study this infection process of infectious disease — look at how the microbiome responds to infection to start to understand conceptually what causes the microbiome to be stable or not stable in the face of infection,” Jani said.
From there, Jani and her research team can use what they’ve learned from fruit flies and start to apply those ecological principles to humans.
Phase one of UH Manoa’s microbiome research began five years ago and since then, they’ve been recognized as a center of excellence in studying the microorganisms.
To learn more about UH Manoa and their current microbiome research, click here.
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