NIAID Systems Biology

The NIAID Systems Biology for Infectious Diseases Research Program develops and validates predictive models of infectious disease initiation, progression, and outcomes. These models are derived from the study of the architecture and dynamics of systems-wide host/pathogen molecular interaction networks during infection, using integrated datasets generated from a combination of “omics” technologies. The research findings will provide a deeper understanding of the overall complexity of the biological, biochemical, and biophysical molecular processes within microbial organisms as well as their interaction with the host. The programs provide data and reagents that result from the research conducted and provide training for the broader infectious disease scientific community to promote the use of the systems biology approach.

Systems Biology: Antibacterial Resistance Program

There are six centers that conduct systems biology research specific to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The purpose of these projects is to identify, quantify, model, and predict the molecular interactions of AMR bacterial pathogens and their host during infectious disease initiation and progression or in response to antibacterial treatment.

• Baylor College of Medicine: Decoding Antibiotic-Induced Susceptibility to Clostridium difficile Infection

• Boston College: Predicting the Emergence of Antibiotic Resistance through Multi-Omics Approaches and Immune System Surveillance

• Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research: Systems Biology of Microbiome-Mediated Resilience to Antibiotic Resistant Pathogens

• Los Angeles Biomedical Institute at Harbor - UCLA Med: Systems Immunolobiology of Antibiotic-Persistent MRSA Infection

• University of California, San Diego: Systems Biology Approach To Redefine Susceptibility Testing and Treatment of MDR Pathogens in the Context of Host Immunity

• University of Michigan: Systems Biology of Clostridium difficile Infection

Systems Biology: The Next Generation Program

The centers in the Systems Biology: The Next Generation Program conduct research to develop and validate predictive models of infectious disease initiation, progression, and outcomes. These models are derived from the study of the architecture and dynamics of systems-wide host/pathogen molecular interaction networks during infection. The research findings will provide a deeper understanding of the overall complexity of the biological, biochemical, and biophysical molecular processes within microbial organisms, as well as their interaction with the host, and help researchers identify targets for the development of diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics.

• Seattle Biomedical Research Institute: OMICS for TB: Response to Infection and Treatment

• Northwestern University at Chicago: Successful Clinical Response in Pneumonia Therapy (SCRIPT) Systems Biology

• University of California, San Francisco: HPMI: Host Pathogen Mapping Initiative

Past Systems Biology Programs (Completed)

For more information on the already completed bacterial systems biology projects and integration of the data into the PATRIC resource, please visit:

• TB Systems Biology

• Center for Systems Biology of EnteroPathogens (SysBEP)