Our Objectives:

• To understand the microbial factors that influence the ability of species to colonize the GI tract.
  
• To understand host factors that shape the composition of the gut microbiome.
  
• To understand how dietary and other environmental factors shape composition of the gut microbiome.

GFI projects are supported by a key core facilitiy:The Germfree Mouse Facility (GMF). GMF is a highly specialized facility for growing and maintaining mice under germ-free environments. This capability allows GFI researchers to specifically colonize these sterile animals with a single species of microorganism, allowing study of how a single organism interacts with the GI tract.