NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) – The Canadian government and health-related organizations and foundations yesterday announced more than C$15 million ($14.9 million) in funding for seven microbiome research projects.
The federal government is contributing more than C$14 million over five years to the effort. Another C$1.4 million is being provided by Genome British Columbia, the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada, and the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
"The goal of this initiative is to discover which microbial communities exist in different parts of the human body and to explore how these communities impact and influence human health or disease," Marc Ouellette, scientific director for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, said in a statement.
The seven projects target the vaginal microbiome; Crohn's disease; microbial diversity and function; cystic fibrosis; microbiotic influence on immune development and disease; microbiota in children; and bacterial interplay in the immune system.