The mission of the Epithelial-Microbe Interaction Core (EMIC) is to advance basic science, as well as translational and discovery studies relevant to interactions of microbes with host epithelial cells from the intestine and the airway. A central service of this Core is to provide expertise using a co-culture platform of bacterial biofilms on human epithelial cells developed by the Core co-Directors at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth. This Core also provides a range of gut and airway cell lines, including primary human airway epithelial cells from cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF donors, to support studies assessing host-microbe interactions relevant to CF. The EMIC will facilitate ongoing studies of The Dartmouth CF Research Center investigators and of our collaborators at other CF Research Centers and CF P30 programs, as well as pilot studies supported via the Pilot Project Program. The Core will also assist in the development of new cell lines and other methodologies to advance the science of Center members and Pilot Project awardees. Notable services of the EMIC include: (1) Support for host-microbe co-culture studies, including leveraging the Core?s expertise in co-culture models with airway cells to develop of a model system of microbe-host interactions in the context of intestinal cells. (2) Assistance with a wide range of microbe-pathogen interaction studies, providing expertise in cell culture, siRNA and other molecular techniques, and electrophysiology studies. (3) Coordinating with industry to develop new therapeutics relevant to CF. (4) Providing training in the use of microbe-host co-culture models to members of the Center as well as investigators regionally, nationally, and around the world. The EMIC was launched in 2017 to meet the unique research needs of Dartmouth CF Research Center investigators and to build on previous accomplishments of a core supported by an NIH- funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) award. This Core is co-directed by George O?Toole, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and by Bruce Stanton, PhD, Professor of Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. O?Toole has 20+ years? experience in bacterial systems, including working with pathogens and anaerobic microbes, and since 2000 has worked closely with Dr. Stanton, an expert in cell biology and protein trafficking, on a variety of projects that exploit their unique combination of expertise and which have directly resulted in development of the central capabilities of this Core.
