GRAHAM · Concepts of Graph Theory Applied to the Human Microbiome

Incidents of cancer, respiratory, and circulatory disease are the highest causes of death among members of the European Union (EU). Elements of these diseases have been linked to the human microbiota, the complex ecosystem of microorganisms which live on and in the human body. Understanding the disruptions to the human microbiota which cause disease is important in furthering our knowledge of these diseases. Although advances in sequencing technology have allowed the exploration of ""who"" is present in these communities, we still do not have a proper understanding of ""what"" is present in terms of genetic elements (genomes, operons, genes, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)) due to a lack of computaional tools. In GRAHAM, I propose to apply network analysis to the study of disruptions to the human microbiota in order to develop tools and answer questions related to human health and disease.Under this research programme, I will model interactions between genetic elements in publicly available metagenomic datasets of the human microbiota using networks. My background in metagenomic sequencing technologies will be combined with the excellence of a research environment and supervisor rich in experience with applications of network analyses. Deliverables will include open-source software packages, and results of this research will be disseminated via publications, conferences, workshops, and public seminars.""