Researchers who are members of the University of Maryland Center of Excellence in Microbiome Sciences (CEMS) are participating in four of the 11 projects selected for funding through the University of Maryland's Grand Challenges Grants 2.0 program, underscoring the Center's growing role in advancing interdisciplinary research across campus.
Announced by the Office of the Provost and the Office of the Vice President for Research, the latest round of Grand Challenges Grants will invest nearly $15 million over three years in interdisciplinary projects addressing pressing societal challenges. The awards were selected from nearly 80 proposals involving more than 400 researchers representing every college and school at the university.
CEMS was established through the inaugural Grand Challenges Grants competition in 2023 and receives administrative and technical support from the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS).
Among this year's largest awards is an Impact Award led by Center member and UMIACS affiliate Joshua Weitz, whose team will develop next-generation predictive tools to better anticipate disease outbreaks, improve human health and protect vital ecosystems. Bringing together expertise in artificial intelligence, computational modeling and the life sciences, the project spans infectious disease, neuroscience and bioinspired engineering.
The research will proceed in three phases. During the first year, the team will develop predictive models to better understand the global ecology of infectious diseases, including anthrax and cyanophages—marine viruses that infect blue-green algae responsible for producing more than half of Earth's oxygen. The work will improve understanding of pathogens that affect both human health and ecosystems, including the Chesapeake Bay.
In the second year, researchers will create predictive brain-network models to guide future personalized interventions for depression, chronic pain and related neurological disorders. The final phase will apply AI-powered design methods to advance the miniaturization of bioinspired technologies.
Evan Economo and Haizhao Yang, who are also UMIACS affiliates, are among the researchers contributing to the project.
Three additional Grand Challenges awards also include members of CEMS.
Gut Healing Smart Pill, with Center members Reza Ghodssi and Katharina Maisel, seeks to transform treatment for inflammatory bowel disease by developing a swallowable capsule that can identify damaged tissue in the intestine and deliver targeted therapies directly where they are needed. Using bioimpedance sensing and nanoparticle-based drug delivery, the capsule is designed to activate the gut's natural repair mechanisms while complementing existing therapies, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and reducing the need for surgery.
Maryland Initiative Against Superbugs, led by Center member Norberto Gonzalez-Juarbe, will advance the development of bacteriophage-based therapies to combat multidrug-resistant infections. The team will combine large-scale genomic datasets, artificial intelligence, protein engineering and laboratory testing to discover, optimize and evaluate viruses capable of targeting antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
The Air We Share: A Public Health Revolution for the 21st Century, with Center member Huang Lin, will investigate how airborne diseases spread indoors and develop evidence-based strategies to improve air quality in schools, hospitals and other shared spaces. By identifying the mechanisms of airborne transmission and validating prevention strategies, the project aims to reduce respiratory illness while strengthening preparedness for future pandemics and seasonal disease outbreaks.
Together, the four awards reflect the microbiome center's collaborative approach to research, bringing together expertise in microbiology, engineering, computational science and medicine to address challenges affecting human and environmental health.
—Story by UMIACS communications group