The MiaGB consortium is one of the largest efforts of several pioneer scientists in the microbiome and aging research to develop a deeper understanding of how the microbiome impacts our gut, brain, and muscle health. A team of multidisciplinary investigators is combining powerful multi-omics using cutting-edge technologies of metagenomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, genotyping, immunophenomics, mitochondrial function, and artificial intelligence to develop a unique resource and databank for the microbiome in aging researchers.
If you are interested to collaborate for ancillary studies, secondary analyses, and new sites, please contact us
Study Design & Implementation Core
Clinical cores deals with designing a study, getting IRBs approvals, recruitment of study participants and getting consents of the participants willing to participant in the study for the defined period of time.
In the MiaGB study once the participants has been recruited we determine the cognitive function, Physical function and collect the routine dietary information, anthropogenic and demographic data of the participants.
Importantly, the clinical core facility dedicated primarily to the support of the microbiome institutes project at USF and the major activities includes sample/specimen collection, sample processing and analysis. The major activities include collection of stool, oral swabs or saliva, blood samples etc. For the stool and oral samples we have designed easy to use, at home sample collection kits and the samples can be stored at room temperature for ~ 7 days until being received by USPS. Once received, the barcoded tubes are scanned and stored at defined locations for long term preservation after preparing the aliquots.
Biorepository core
USF microbiome institutes biorepository core aims to create a high quality, highly systematic and efficient system for the storage of human and animal (scientific use) origin samples including blood, fecal samples, body fluid swabs, DNA to be used in different disease conditions including Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, viral infections, infectious disease. The major aim of the biorepository core is storage of the samples for long term storage and be used for longitudinal studies on the samples.
Microbiome and Bioinformatics core
- The metagenomics and bioinformatics core is established to provide technical and research support to MiaGB study and it facilitate microbiome studies for researchers at university of south Florida (USF).
- We perform bioinformatics analytic to investigators interested in basic, pre-clinical, clinical and epidemiological transplant studies. The major activities of the core includes sample collection, microbial genomic DNA extraction, DNA, RNA, Protein quantification using Nanodrop, Qubit 3 fluorometer, total bacteria quantitation by 16S rRNA quantitative PCR, 16R amplicon, ITS amplicon, transcriptome sequencing, miRNA sequencing, shotgun metagenomic sequencing, Microbiome analysis using MetaPhlAn and Pathway analyses using HUMANn.
