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Summary
The development of new platforms for characterization of complex microbial samples are hampered by lack of reproducibility and comparability across different laboratories. In an effort to improve measurements of complex microbial mixtures, NIST has joined the DARPA FoF program as the IV&V team to provide mock communities for FoF performers to benchmark their technologies.
Description
Vision: Validate new measurement platforms for identifying commensal (friend) and pathogenic (foe) microorganisms
Goal: Provide well-characterized, microbial community reference materials of increasing complexity
Approach: Start with well-characterized pure cultures and scale up to complex consortia in simulated matricies
Deliverables:
- Three distinct microbial consortia of increasing complexity (20 strains, 30 strains, and >50 strains) and 3 simulated matricies (e.g. soil)
- Methods for systematic characterization of complex communities (e.g., next generation sequencing, growth, interactions)
Major Accomplishments
- More than 150 commensal and pathogenic bacterial strains
- Method development for engineering mixed species microbial consortia
- Lyophilized communities that included pathogens and non-pathogens