We are SC INBRE: IDeA Collaborative Supplement

Former SC INBRE Bioinformatics Pilot Project Program (BIPP) and Developmental Research Project Program (DRP) recipient Dr. Linnea Freeman, Furman University, with Dr. Brent Wilkerson, Medical University of South Carolina, have received a 12-month, $178,128 collaborative supplement for their project, “The Role of Gut Microbiome in Hearing Impairment in a Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder,” from the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS).

About the project: Autism spectrum disorder is a common neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 36 children. Many with autism spectrum disorder suffer from gastrointestinal problems, and experimental studies have shown that treatments targeting the gut microbiome may lessen autism-associated behavioral differences. The goal of this proposal is to evaluate the role of the gut microbiome in hearing and behavioral differences found in an animal model of ASD.