Diet on Microbiome interactions for better Immune Outcomes (DoMInO) study) (360G-Wellcome-215860_Z_19_Z)

Severe growth faltering leading to stunting and undernutrition remains highly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and is estimated to play a role in 45% of under-5 deaths. However, despite many decades of research, the precise aetiology of this growth faltering remains obscure. The Diet on Microbiome interactions for better Immune Outcomes (DoMInO) consortium brings together multidisciplinary research scientists with expertise in nutrition, breast-milk bioactives, gut microbiome and immunity to: Advance our understanding of the interactions between diet, gut microbiome and human immunity, especially in LMIC settings. Conduct a small study (20 mother-infant pairs) to: Test systems and methods for the detailed assessment of diet on microbiome interactions and infant vaccine responses, as a proxy for infant immune responses. Develop a package of robust methods and assessment protocols for integration into future research proposals. Obtain variance metrics from all assays to be used as a basis of power calculations for a substantive future study. Together, this work will underpin the development of future large research grant applications led by the DoMInO consortium.