Mark Mimee receives Scialog funding award for work on microbiome

Mark Mimee, assistant professor of molecular engineering and microbiology, has received a Scialog award for his joint proposal with Faranak Fahatti from the University of California-San Francisco, to investigate the microbiome and its relationship with neurobiology.

“Neuroscience as a field is very interesting and it’s one that’s heavily impacted by the microbiome and the work that I do. The Scialog award kicks off a new collaboration in which Faranak and I can study the intersection of those fields and look at it in a totally new way,” Mimee said.

Mimee and Fattahi’s winning proposal is for the study of microbial metabolites that activate the enteric nervous system—molecules produced in the digestive system that influence things like motor control in the intestines and the secretion of gastrointestinal enzymes. Findings from their research could potentially lead to new therapeutic options for neurological conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Scialog, a combination of “science” and “dialog,” is a multi-year initiative created by the Research Corporation for Science Advancement (RCSA), the Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group, and the Frederick Gardner Cottrell Foundation to support early-career scientists and their work on issues of global importance by awarding catalytic seed funding to promising collaborative research projects.

To facilitate that collaboration, Scialog holds a yearly gathering of researchers from around the country to brainstorm new approaches to a particular field of research. Following the meeting, attendees submit proposals for collaborative projects related to the subject. The central topic of Mimee and Fahatti’s gathering was the microbiome, neurobiology, and disease.

Mimee’s broader work at the University of Chicago focuses on engineering the microbiome in order to understand and exploit it for therapeutic and diagnostic applications. As he sees it, researchers have made great strides in cataloguing the microbiome but in order to understand it further, scientists will have to develop new forms of engineering.

“Being able to cultivate these microorganisms is one thing,” said Mimee, “but I would strongly argue that being able to genetically manipulate and engineer them is pivotal to not only our understanding of what’s going on with the microbiome, but also being able to apply it in therapeutic ways.”

The award will provide $55,000 to complete this exploratory phase of research and develop avenues for continued study.