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Project Information
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Project Information


Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes


Project Scope:

An ad hoc committee will develop a research strategy to better understand the interactions between environmental chemicals and human microbiomes, including the intestinal, skin, and lung microbiomes, and the implications of those interactions on human health risk. The committee will assess the state of the science regarding the health implications of chemical metabolism by microbiota and chemical exposure on microbiota diversity and function. It will also assess what is known about how effects might differ depending on, for example, life stage or interindividual differences. The committee will then develop a research strategy that identifies the types of studies needed to improve understanding of how different microbiome communities can affect chemical absorption and metabolism, how population variation in microbiome activity might affect individual chemical exposure, and the effect of chemical exposure on microbiome functions and possible implications for human health risk.  The committee will also identify methodological or technological barriers to advancing the field, discuss possible opportunities for coordination or collaboration, and indicate which research investments might provide the most information for improving understanding of microbiome implications for human health risk.

Status: Current

PIN: DELS-BEST-15-03

Project Duration (months): 24 month(s)

RSO: Mantus, Ellen
Division(s):

Division on Earth and Life Studies

Board(s)/Committee(s):

Board on Life Sciences
Board on Environmental Studies & Toxicology

Topic(s):

Environment and Environmental Studies

Committee Membership

Committee Post Date: 08/04/2016
Dr. Ronald M. Atlas - (Chair)
University of Louisville Department of Biology

Ronald M. Atlas (chair) is professor of biology at the University of Louisville. His early research focused on oil spills and bioremediation. He later focused on the molecular detection of pathogens in the environment, which informs the development of biosensors to detect biothreat agents. Dr. Atlas has authored nearly 300 manuscripts and 20 books. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and has received the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Award for Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the ASM Founders Award, the Edmund Youde Lectureship Award in Hong Kong, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Guelph. He has served as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Advisory Committee, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Planetary Protection Board, the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Scientific Working Group on Bioforensics, and the National Institutes of Health’s Recombinant DNA Advisory Committee. He has been served as the ASM president and is co-chair of the ASM Biodefense Committee. Dr. Atlas has also served as a chair or a member of numerous National Academies committees. He received his Ph.D. in microbiology from Rutgers University.
Kjersti M. Aagaard
Baylor College of Medicine

Kjersti M. Aagaard is an associate professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Departments of Molecular and Human Genetics, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Molecular Physiology and Biophysics all at Baylor College of Medicine. She specializes in the field of maternal-fetal medicine where her research interests include both basic science investigations and translation into clinical research. Specifically, she is interested in microbiome interactions with preterm birth and in the role of the in utero environment and epigenetics in fetal programming and development. Dr. Aagaard earned her MD from the University of Minnesota Medical School at Minneapolis and her PhD from the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.
Dr. Elaine Hsiao
University of California, Los Angeles

Elaine Hsiao is an assistant professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology and the Department of Medicine, Digestive Diseases at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research interests include the microbiome, neurobiology of disease, neuroimmunology, and host-microbe interactions. Specifically, her research explores the effects of the microbiota on the nervous system and communication between microbes and the nervous system. Dr. Hsiao also studies the particular functions of microbiome species and the impact of modifying the microbiome on neurological disease. She was awarded the De Logi Chair in Biological Sciences at UCLA and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer Award and was selected for the Forbes’ “30 Under 30 in Science & Healthcare.” Dr. Hsiao was also the 2013 Caltech Everhart Lecturer and served on the White House Office of Science and Technology Microbiome Forum. Dr. Hsiao received her PhD in neurobiology from the California Institute of Technology.
Dr. Yvonne Huang
University of Michigan

Yvonne Huang is an assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan in the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Huang’s research interests include the microbiome, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and interactions between therapeutics and the microbiome. Her work on the respiratory microbiome in asthma and COPD includes trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. She was a Yale/Johnson & Johnson Physician Scholar in International Health and served as associate director of the adult cystic fibrosis program at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Huang earned her MD from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, trained in internal medicine at Yale, and completed a fellowship in pulmonary/critical care medicine at UCSF.
Dr. Curtis Huttenhower
Harvard University School of Public Health

Curtis Huttenhower is an associate professor of computational biology and bioinformatics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and an associate member at the Broad Institute. Dr. Huttenhower’s laboratory worked extensively with the NIH Human Microbiome Project (HMP) to identify and characterize the microorganisms found in association with both healthy and diseased humans. In 2015, he co-led one of the follow-up HMP2 Centers for Characterizing the Gut Microbial Ecosystem in Inflammatory Bowel Disease. He received a National Science Foundation CAREER award in 2010 for his research on microbial communities and was awarded a Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2012. Dr. Huttenhower was also awarded in 2015 the Overton Prize from the International Society for Computational Biology. He is a member of the editorial boards for the academic journals Genome Biology, Microbiome, and BMC Bioinformatics. Dr. Huttenhower received his PhD in genomics from Princeton University.
Dr. Susan Lynch
University of California, San Francisco

Susan Lynch is an associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco where she also directs the Colitis and Crohn’s Disease Microbiome Research Core. Dr. Lynch’s research program focuses on understanding the contribution of the human microbiota to chronic gastrointestinal and airway inflammatory disease pathogenesis. Specifically, her work focuses on the relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiome and host immune status and disease development. Her laboratory also studies the role of specific bacterial species in both microbiota manipulation and immunomodulation, particularly in the context of childhood asthma development and in immune priming at sites remote from the gastrointestinal tract. Dr. Lynch also works on the development of novel high-resolution microbial diagnostic tools to examine the diversity of organisms present in clinical samples. Dr. Lynch earned her PhD at the University College Dublin in Molecular Microbiology.
Dr. William W. Nazaroff
University of California, Berkeley

William Nazaroff is the Daniel Tellep Distinguished Professor of Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. His research group studies the physics and chemistry of air pollutants in proximity to people, especially in indoor environments. The group also works in the domain of exposure science and stresses the development and application of methods to better understand mechanistically the relationship between emission sources and human exposure to pollutants. Dr. Nazaroff has served as president of the Academy of Fellows in the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate and president of the American Association for Aerosol Research. For the Academies, he chaired the Planning Committee for the Workshop on Health Risks of Indoor Exposure to Particulate Matter and served on the Committee on the Effect of Climate Change on Indoor Air Quality and Public Health and the Committee on Air Quality in Passenger Cabins of Commercial Aircraft. Dr. Nazaroff earned his PhD in environmental engineering science from California Institute of Technology.
Dr. Andrew Patterson
Pennsylvania State University

Andrew Patterson is an associate professor of molecular toxicology at Pennsylvania State University. Dr. Patterson studies the metabolism of drugs and foreign compounds by the human body and how chemicals in diets or nutrients derived from diets influence health and disease. Much of his research involves the use of metabolomics tools. Dr. Patterson was a Research Fellow of the National Cancer Institute, and he served on the National Academies’ committee responsible for planning the workshop “Getting the Most from Microbiome Research in the Next Decade.” Dr. Patterson earned his PhD in genetics from the George Washington University.
Dr. John Rawls
Duke University

John Rawls is an Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology at Duke University, and Director of the Duke Center for the Genomics of Microbial Systems. He has secondary appointments in Duke University's Department of Medicine, Center for Host-Microbial Interactions, and Cancer Institute. Dr. Rawls’s laboratory uses zebrafish and mouse models to study how intestinal microbiota impact vertebrate health and disease. Dr. Rawls was recognized as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences. Dr. Rawls received his PhD in developmental biology from Washington University.
Dr. Joseph V. Rodricks
Ramboll Environ

Joseph V. Rodricks is a founding Principal of Ramboll Environ. An expert in toxicology and risk analysis, Dr. Rodricks has consulted for hundreds of manufacturers and government agencies and for the World Health Organization in the evaluation of health risks associated with human exposure to chemical substances of all types. Before Environ, Rodricks served 15 years as a scientist at the US Food and Drug Administration; in his last four years he served as Associate Commissioner for Health Affairs. His experience extends from pharmaceuticals, medical devices, consumer products and foods, to occupational chemicals and environmental contaminants. He has served on the National Academies’ Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology and on 30 boards and committees of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, including the committees that produced the seminal works Risk Assessment in the Federal Government: Managing the Process (1983) and Science and Decisions: Advancing Risk Assessment (2009). Dr. Rodricks has nearly 150 scientific publications and has received honorary awards from three professional societies for his contributions to toxicology and risk analysis. Dr. Rodricks earned his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Maryland, College Park and was a post-doctoral scholar at University of California, Berkeley.
Dr. Pamela Shubat
Retired

Pamela Shubat is retired from the Minnesota Department of Health Environmental Health Division where she supervised the work of the Health Risk Assessment Unit. Dr. Shubat has worked in many areas of risk assessment, toxicology, and exposure assessment. For example, she has been involved in work on sensitive subpopulations and life stages and drinking water contaminants. Her major responsibilities have included research on fish contaminants; childhood lead poisoning prevention; population-based exposure assessment; and rules for groundwater contaminants. In addition to state work, she served as an appointed member and chair of EPA’s Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee and has served as a peer reviewer for EPA projects involving methylmercury, polychlorinated biphenyls, and risk assessment practice. Dr. Shubat is also a member of the EPA Federal-State Toxicology Risk Analysis Committee. She earned a PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Brian Thrall
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Brian Thrall is an associate director in the Biological Sciences Division, and Chief Scientist for the Health Impacts and Exposure Science Group at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). Dr. Thrall has over 20 years of experience in leading research programs focused on developing and applying systems toxicology and exposure science strategies to elucidate, and ultimately predict, biological response pathways modulated by exposure to environmental agents of concern to human health. As director of PNNL’s Center for Nanotoxicology, Dr. Thrall leads a multidisciplinary team that employs state-of-the-art genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and cell imaging to understand receptor-mediated interactions between biological systems and engineered nanomaterials. In addition, Dr. Thrall serves as the Thrust Leader for PNNL’s Microbiomes-in-Transition research program, which includes a focus on developing tools and strategies to elucidate microbiome-exposome interactions. Dr. Thrall earned his PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from Washington State University.
Dr. Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown
Arizona State University

Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown is an associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering and is part of the Swette Center for Environmental Biotechnology in the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. She specializes in molecular microbial ecology for bioremediation, the use of microbial systems for bioenergy production, and the human intestinal microbial ecology and its relationship to obesity, bariatric surgery, and autism. She is an author of five patents and more than 60 peer-reviewed publications and has presented numerous talks and posters at national and international conferences. She was awarded a Fulbright scholarship and completed her Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Events



Location:

Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center
100 Academy Way, Irvine, CA 92617
Event Type :  
-

Registration for Online Attendance :   
NA

Registration for in Person Attendance :   
NA

If you would like to attend the sessions of this event that are open to the public or need more information please contact

Contact Name:  Ivory Clarke
Contact Email:  iclarke@nas.edu
Contact Phone:  (202) 334-1942
Is it a Closed Session Event?
Yes

Closed Session Summary Posted After the Event

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event:

Ronald Atlas (chair)
Kjersti Aagaard
Elaine Hsiao
Yvonne Huang
Curtis Huttenhower (via teleconference)
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown
Susan Lynch
William Nazaroff
Andrew Patterson
John Rawls (via teleconference)
Pamela Shubat
and Brian Thrall

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

1) Report structure and draft materials.
2) Committee assignments and deadlines.
3) The report review process and the project schedule for completing report.


The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

No materials were received

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:
June 29, 2017


Location:

National Academy of Sciences Building
2101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20418
Event Type :  
-

Registration for Online Attendance :   
NA

Registration for in Person Attendance :   
NA

If you would like to attend the sessions of this event that are open to the public or need more information please contact

Contact Name:  Ivory Clarke
Contact Email:  iclarke@nas.edu
Contact Phone:  (202) 334-1942
Is it a Closed Session Event?
Yes

Closed Session Summary Posted After the Event

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event:

Ronald Atlas (chair)
Kjersti Aagaard
Elaine Hsiao (via teleconference)
Yvonne Huang
Curtis Huttenhower
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown
Susan Lynch
William Nazaroff
Andrew Patterson
John Rawls
Joseph Rodricks
Pamela Shubat
and Brian Thrall

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

1) Report structure and draft materials.
2) Committee assignments and deadlines.
3) Project schedule, the report review process, and the final meeting agenda.


The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

No materials were received

Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:
April 28, 2017


Location:

National Academy of Sciences Building
2101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20418
Event Type :  
-

Registration for Online Attendance :   
NA

Registration for in Person Attendance :   
NA

If you would like to attend the sessions of this event that are open to the public or need more information please contact

Contact Name:  Ivory Clarke
Contact Email:  iclarke@nas.edu
Contact Phone:  (202) 334-1942
Agenda
If you would like to attend, please register with Ivory Clarke (iclarke@nas.edu) by January 20, 2017. Include the following registration information:
First and Last Name
Title
Organization
Email


COMMITTEE ON ADVANCING UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL-CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS WITH THE HUMAN MICROBIOMES
3RD MEETING




Open Session: January 30, 2017
National Academy of Sciences, Room 120
2101 Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20418

AGENDA


9:00 Purpose of Open Session and Introduction of Committee Members
Ronald Atlas, Ph.D.
Chair, Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of the Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes
Professor, Department of Biology
University of Louisville

9:15 Microbiota are Required for Normal Neurobehavioral Development in Zebrafish
Tamara Tal, Ph.D.
Integrated Systems Toxicology Division
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

10:15 Effect of Water Exposure on Microbiomes
Kerry Kinney, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin

11:15 The Microbial Pharmacists within Us: A Metagenomic View of Xenobiotic Metabolism
Peter Turnbaugh, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology

12:15 Open Microphone – Comments from the Audience

12:30 END OF OPEN SESSION
Is it a Closed Session Event?
Yes

Closed Session Summary Posted After the Event

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event:

Ronald Atlas (chair)
Kjersti Aagaard
Elaine Hsiao
Yvonne Huang
Curtis Huttenhower (via teleconference)
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown
Susan Lynch
William Nazaroff
Andrew Patterson
John Rawls
Joseph Rodricks
Pamela Shubat (via teleconference)
and Brian Thrall

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

1) Report structure and draft materials.
2) Information presented during the open session.
3) Committee assignments, project schedule, and agendas for future meetings.


The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

Tal, T. 2017. Microbial Colonization Is Required for Normal Neurobehavioral Development in Zebrafish. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on January 30, 2017, in Washington, DC.

Kinney, K. 2017. Effect of Water Exposures on Microbiomes. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on January 30, 2017, in Washington, DC.

Turnbaugh, P. 2017. Interactions between Xenobiotics and the Gut Microbiome. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on January 30, 2017, in Washington, DC.


Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:
February 03, 2017


Location:

Keck Center
500 5th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Event Type :  
-

Registration for Online Attendance :   
NA

Registration for in Person Attendance :   
NA

If you would like to attend the sessions of this event that are open to the public or need more information please contact

Contact Name:  Ivory Clarke
Contact Email:  iclarke@nas.edu
Contact Phone:  (202) 334-1942
Agenda
If you would like to attend, please register with Ivory Clarke (iclarke@nas.edu) by October 25th, 2016. Include the following registration information:
First and Last Name
Title
Organization
Email


COMMITTEE ON ADVANCING UNDERSTANDING OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF ENVIRONMENTAL-CHEMICAL INTERACTIONS WITH THE HUMAN MICROBIOMES
2ND MEETING

Open Session: November 4, 2016
National Academies Keck Center, Room 105
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
PH: 202-334-1479 / FAX 202-334-2752



AGENDA



9:00 Purpose of Open Session and Introduction of Committee Members
Ronald Atlas
Chair, Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of the Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes
Professor, Department of Biology
University of Louisville


9:15 In vitro Methods for Studying the Microbiome
Vincent Young
Professor of Internal Medicine
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
The University of Michigan


10:15 Skin Microbiome
Elizabeth Grice
Assistant Professor
Departments of Dermatology and Microbiology
University of Pennsylvania


11:15 Open Microphone – Comments from the Audience

11:30 END OF OPEN SESSION



Is it a Closed Session Event?
Yes

Closed Session Summary Posted After the Event

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event:

Ronald Atlas (chair)
Kjersti Aagaard
Elaine Hsiao
Yvonne Huang
Curtis Huttenhower
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown (via teleconference)
Susan Lynch (via teleconference)
William Nazaroff
Andrew Patterson
John Rawls
Joseph Rodricks
Pamela Shubat
and Brian Thrall

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

1) Committee’s statement of task and its approach to its task.
2) Information presented during the open session.
3) Committee assignments, project schedule, and agendas for future meetings.


The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

1. Young, V. 2016. Alternative Model Systems for Examining Host-Microbe Interactions. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on November 4, 2016, in Washington, DC.
2. Grice, E. 2016. The Skin Microbiome in Health & Disease. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on November 4, 2016, in Washington, DC.


Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:
November 14, 2016


Location:

Keck Center
500 5th St NW, Washington, DC 20001
Event Type :  
-

Registration for Online Attendance :   
NA

Registration for in Person Attendance :   
NA

If you would like to attend the sessions of this event that are open to the public or need more information please contact

Contact Name:  Ivory Clarke
Contact Email:  iclarke@nas.edu
Contact Phone:  (202) 334-1942
Agenda
To attend the open session, please register by sending the below information to Ivory Clarke (iclarke@nas.edu)by September 22, 2016.

Registrant Information:
First and Last Name
Title
Organization
Email
Indicate if you would like to make a comment during the open microphone portion of the meeting.


Open Session: September 26, 2016
National Academies Keck Center, Room 105


AGENDA

8:30 Purpose of Open Session and Introduction of Committee Members
Ronald Atlas
Chair, Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of the Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes
Professor, Department of Biology
University of Louisville

8:45 Drivers and Objectives for Study, Perspective from EPA Office of Research & Development
Tina Bahadori
National Program Director, Chemical Safety for Sustainability
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

9:10 Drivers and Objectives for Study, Perspective from EPA Office of Radiation & Indoor Air
Laura Kolb
Scientific Analysis Center Director
Indoor Environments Division
Office of Radiation and Indoor Air
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

9:25 Drivers and Objectives for Study, Perspective from NIEHS
NIEHS Investments in Microbiome and Human Health
Lisa Chadwick
Genes, Environment, and Health Branch U.S. Food and Drug Administration
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences

9:45 EPA/ORD Investments in Microbiome and Human Health
White House OSTP National Microbiome Initiative
Jay Garland
Director, Systems Exposure Division
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Office of Research and Development
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

10:10 BREAK

10:25 Open Discussion of Charge with Speakers and Committee

11:00 Open Microphone – Comments from the Audience

11:30 END OF OPEN SESSION
Is it a Closed Session Event?
Yes

Closed Session Summary Posted After the Event

The following committee members were present at the closed sessions of the event:

Ronald Atlas (chair)
Kjersti Aagaard
Elaine Hsiao
Yvonne Huang
Curtis Huttenhower
Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown (via teleconference)
Susan Lynch
William Nazaroff
Andrew Patterson
John Rawls
Joseph Rodricks
Pamela Shubat
and Brian Thrall

The following topics were discussed in the closed sessions:

1) Standard Academies discussion of policies, procedures, bias, and conflict of interest.
2) Committee’s statement of task and its approach to its task.
3) Information presented during the open session.
4) Committee assignments, project schedule, and agendas for future meetings.


The following materials (written documents) were made available to the committee in the closed sessions:

1. Kolb, L. 2016. Drivers and Objectives for Study, Perspectives from EPA, Office of Radiation & Indoor Air. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on September 26, 2016, in Washington, DC.
2. Bahadori, T. 2016. NAS Human Microbiomes Study Drivers and Objectives. Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on September 26, 2016, in Washington, DC.
3. Garland, J. Fast Track Committee on Mapping the Microbiome (FTAC-MM). Presentation to the Committee on Advancing Understanding of the Implications of Environmental-Chemical Interactions with the Human Microbiomes, on September 26, 2016, in Washington, DC.


Date of posting of Closed Session Summary:
October 03, 2016

Publications

  • Publications having no URL can be seen at the Public Access Records Office
Environmental Chemicals, the Human Microbiome, and Health RiskEnvironmental Chemicals, the Human Microbiome, and Health Risk