Johanna Holm
University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD·Microbiology & Immunology
Bacterial vaginosis (BV) affects about one in three women at some point in their lives. It occurs when the healthy Lactobacillus bacteria of the vagina are replaced by a diverse mix of bacteria that grow without oxygen.
- Fields
Microbiology & Immunology
Genetics
Medicine & Clinical Research
- Topics
bacterial vaginosis
vaginal microbiome
Lactobacillus
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Mar 2028
What they work on
- Uncover how the vaginal microbiome helps BV clear on its own, using genome-wide association analysis of metagenome-assembled genomes (bacterial genomes rebuilt from mixed DNA) and a new statistical method.
- Develop a machine-learning model that predicts BV recurrence from metagenomic features of the vaginal microbiome, including metagenomic Community State Types that classify microbiomes by strain makeup.
- Test whether metagenomic Community State Types explain BV recurrence better than the traditional heterogeneous BV definition, building on data linking one type to recurrence at six months.
More about the research
BV is linked to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, preterm birth, miscarriage and infertility. Antibiotics ease symptoms, but BV returns in 60% of women within six months and 70% within a year. The causes of recurrence remain poorly understood.
Why it matters
BV has no lasting cure and frequently returns, raising risks of sexually transmitted infections, preterm delivery and infertility. Identifying how the vaginal microbiome helps BV resolve could reveal new treatment targets for recurrent BV. A predictive model of recurrence could become the basis of a diagnostic test, helping clinicians personalize care and protect women's reproductive and pregnancy health.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Corrie Miller
University of Hawaii at Manoa, HI·Medicine & Clinical Research
Test whether women who deliver preterm have more Lactobacillus iners or anaerobic bacteria in mid-pregnancy vaginal swabs, using 16S sequencing to identify bacteria and to assign community state types (common bacterial patterns).
Brandilyn Peters
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY·Public Health & Epidemiology
Determine how 12 weeks of transdermal estradiol, with or without progesterone, changes the gut microbiome of women with HIV in the randomized HoT trial, using shotgun metagenomic sequencing of stool samples.
Nicole Gilbert
Washington University in St Louis, MO·Microbiology & Immunology
Optimize the design and fabrication of 3D-bioprinted catheter tubing that carries live Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, a probiotic strain, for long-lasting release of bacteria, lactic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
The school
University of Maryland, Baltimore: 23 labs on PI Pages, $1.5B a year on research, 79 research doctorates a year.
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