African Collaborative Center for Microbiome and Genomics Research (ACCME)

描述（由申请人提供）：非洲微生物组和基因组学研究合作中心（ACCME）是一个多国、多机构的合作研究项目，涉及马里兰大学人类病毒学和基因组科学研究所；马里兰大学医学院流行病学与公共卫生系，巴尔的摩；尼日利亚阿布贾的阿布贾大学教学医院和马里国家疟疾中心（CNAM）。该中心的目标是合作和实施具有高影响力的研究项目，以表征人类微生物组及其在健康和疾病中的作用。具体而言，该协会将与合作机构的现有资助研究和项目活动联系起来，研究阴道微生物组、宿主遗传因素和人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）分子变异之间的相互作用，以确定病毒在宫颈癌致病途径中的持久性相关因素，宫颈癌是非洲大陆可预防死亡的主要原因。研究小组最近的研究采用细菌培养不依赖的“克隆和序列方法”，采用16S核糖体RNA （rRNA）基因技术，记录了阴道微生物组的复杂性，并将一致的微生物组分类为“群落状态类型”，这为了解阴道微生物组在宫颈癌发病机制中的作用打开了新的窗口。除了提供关于阴道微生物组、HPV持久性和宫颈癌发生的知识外，ACCME还通过培训博士后成为新一代非洲科学领袖，同时使数百名非洲科学家能够进行微生物组和基因组学研究，从而发展能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The African Collaborative Center for Microbiome and Genomics Research (ACCME) is a multi-country, multi-institutional collaborative research involving the Institutes of Human Virology and Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland; Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, School of Medicine University of Maryland, Baltimore; University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria and the Centre National d'Appui a la lutte centre la Maladie (CNAM) Mali. The objectives of the Center are to collaborate and implement high impact research programs characterizing the human microbiome and its role in health and disease. Specifically, ACCME links and leverages existing funded research and program activities at the collaborating institutions to study the interaction between vaginal microbiome, host genetic factors and molecular variants of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) to determine correlates of viral persistence in the causal pathway of cervical cancer, a major cause of preventable mortality on the African continent. Recent studies by the investigative team, employing bacterial culture-independent, "clone and sequence approach" employing 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene technologies have documented the complexity of vaginal microbiome and classified consistent microbial groupings termed "community state types" that open a new window to understanding the role that the vaginal microbiome plays in cervical cancer pathogenesis. In addition to contributing to knowledge about vaginal microbiome, HPV persistence and cervical carcinogenesis, ACCME also develops capacity by training postdoctoral students to become the new generation of African scientific leaders while empowering hundreds of African scientists to conduct research in microbiome and genomics. RELEVANCE: The African Collaborative Center for Microbiome and Genomics Research (ACCME) leverages advanced research methods and technologies of the University of Maryland, Baltimore to build capacity, conduct training and research the role of vaginal microbiome in Human Papilloma Virus persistence and cervical carcinogenesis as a paradigmatic example of a high impact public health challenge that affects women's morbidity and mortality.