Human Virome Characterization Center for the Oral-Gut-Brain Axis

Biospecimen Analysis Core: Abstract The Biospecimen Analysis Core of the Human Virome Characterization Center (HVCC) for the Oral–Gut–Brain Axis will provide comprehensive analysis of a broad array of biospecimen samples collected by the Biospecimen Collection Core. Sample analysis will be performed using previously standardized and validated sequencing protocols, such as whole-genome shotgun metagenomic sequencing and targeted viral capture enrichments, allowing investigation and characterization of the virome and other microbiome components present in diverse sample types. Additionally, new technologies and protocols will be implemented as they are developed in coordination with other components of the Human Virome Program (HVP). Our Core will be led by Dr. Matthew Clayton Ross, an Assistant Professor of Molecular Virology and Microbiology and Laboratory Director at the Alkek Center for Metagenomics and Microbiome Research (CMMR) at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), with broad expertise in sequencing platforms for the microbiome/virome. He will be joined by an expert team of investigators, including Dr. Joseph Petrosino, Professor at BCM and prior investigator for the Human Microbiome Project, Dr. Sara Joan Javornik Cregeen, an Assistant Professor and Team Lead at the CMMR at BCM, Dr. Jonathan Jacobs, a physician–scientist and Co-Director of the Goodman–Luskin Microbiome Center (GLMC) at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Dr. Xinmin Li, Director of the Technology Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics (TCGB) at UCLA. Dr. Hong Zhou, Director of the Electron Imaging Center for NanoMachines and Professor at UCLA, will serve as a contributing member with content expertise in the application of cryogenic electron microscopy to the study of viral structures. The Biospecimen Analysis Core will ensure production-level sequencing of samples collected by the Biospecimen Collection Core; oversee the technical development of sample extraction, processing, and sequencing methods; incorporate new technologies and analytical tools to permit spatiotemporal visualization, tracking, and tracing of viruses in cells and their environment in vivo and possibly ex vivo. We will build additional analytical capacity to accommodate new or updated imaging, single-cell, or other technologies developed through the HVP Consortium. In total, our multidisciplinary team of expert investigators will work together with the other Cores within our HVCC, as well as members of other HVP groups and the Consortium Organization and Data Coordination Center, to develop, refine, and apply cutting-edge tools and technologies for detailed analysis of the viral communities within a broad array of biospecimen types. Through these efforts, we will support the broad aims of our HVCC, which are to identify and characterize the human virome across the oral–gut–brain axis, providing accurate estimates of its richness and complexity in health across the lifespan and healthspan. 1