One of the goals of this U19 Genomic Center for Infectious Disease (GCID) application is to use state-of-the- art platforms to address gaps in knowledge surrounding multiple NIAID Category A-C bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic mucosal pathogens that cause gastrointestinal, extraintestinal, and respiratory tract diseases. To meet this goal, the establishment of the Organoid and Minibioreactor Array Cultivation (OMAC) core will allow the provision of critical biologically relevant human organotypic and bacterial cultures that are essential for the success of the project. The core will be organized around three goals: 1) generate, maintain, and provide experimentally ready intestinal and airway organoid cultures and specialized growth reagents for use, (2) cultivate various types of microbial communities from the intestine and lung, and (3) establish and oversee experiments with an anaerobic platform to facilitate co-culture of microbes and organoids. These goals will offer the ability to translate genomic analysis through in vitro validation of key outcomes obtained from sequencing studies. The core will reduce labor, supply and equipment costs, and time required to complete projects by centralizing the isolation, growth, and maintenance of the organoid lines and complex microbial communities. Bulk acquisition of materials required to culture organoids and bacteria, standardization of conditioned media containing growth factors and bioreactor media, and centralization of the maintenance of the lines and bioreactors results in significant time and cost savings to the individual Project investigators and ensures standardization and reproducibility. Additionally, the OMAC core will enhance communication and comparability of results obtained between projects. The OMAC core will be an essential component of the success of each of the projects in this application as well as a unifying element in connecting them together.
