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Texas Children's Physicians Awarded NIH Pilot Grant for Human Microbiome Study; First of Its Kind in Texas Medical Center

HOUSTON – (June 30, 2009) – Texas Children’s Hospital announced that James Versalovic, MD, PhD, has been awarded one of 15 National Institutes of Health (NIH) pilot clinical demonstration project grants, for the study of the human microbiome in children with a form of recurrent abdominal pain known as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The grant is the first ever awarded in the Texas Medical Center for work connecting the human microbiome with health and disease.

Versalovic is chief of Pathology at Texas Children’s Hospital, and director of the newly created Texas Children’s Microbiome Center. He is also professor of Pathology, Pediatrics, Molecular and Human Genetics, and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). Versalovic will be the Principal Investigator of the study, in collaboration with Dr Robert Shulman, Texas Children’s Hospital Foundation Chair in Pediatric Gastroenterology and professor of Pediatrics at BCM.

The project will examine the composition of the intestinal microbiome and any possible connections with irritable bowel syndrome in children.  It was funded at $750,000 for the initial year, after which it will be reviewed for renewal. “This award is a cornerstone toward progress in this promising area of study, enabling us to gain an inside track on more translational microbiome-related projects in the future,” said Versalovic.

The study is connected to the Human Microbiome Project at BCM, a NIH Roadmap program designed to sequence the individual bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses that inhabit the human body.  BCM received a four-year, $3.7 million expansion grant from the NIH for this program, as one of a select group of large scale sequencing centers.

The Texas Children’s Microbiome Center will explore how beneficial microbes can relieve and prevent disease, and improve children’s health globally, with a primary focus on digestive disorders.  Versalovic is a leader in the investigation of probiotics as natural modulators of the intestinal immune system and antagonists to bacterial and viral pathogens that cause gastroenteritis.

 “We are optimistic that probiotics and beneficial microbes can lead to new therapeutic strategies; they may help stimulate antibodies to fight infection in the intestinal tract, prevent or treat diarrhea, shorten the duration of intestinal infections and reduce intestinal inflammation, and even possibly reduce the allergy burden in children,” added Versalovic. ” Research and clinical trials – made possible by grants like this – are crucial to helping us unlock the secrets of these powerful organisms.”

About Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children's Hospital is committed to a community of healthy children by providing the finest pediatric patient care, education and research. Renowned worldwide for its expertise and breakthrough developments in clinical care and research, Texas Children’s is ranked in the top ten best children’s hospitals by U.S. News and World Report. Texas Children’s also operates the nation’s largest primary pediatric care network, with over 40 offices throughout the greater Houston community. Texas Children’s has embarked on a $1.5 Billion expansion, Vision 2010, which includes a Neurological Research Institute, a comprehensive obstetrics facility focusing on high risk births, and a community hospital in suburban West Houston. For more information, visit www.texaschildrens.org.