Human
kidney stone formation (nephrolithiasis) presently
affects 12% of men and 5% of women in the United States, generating an estimated
annual healthcare cost of $2.1 billion. A first of its kind analysis is being
untaken of the integrated role of human microorganisms (the microbiome) in influencing the dynamics
of human disease-related mineral precipitation (biomineralization). Direct comparison and inference is being drawn
from geobiological studies of microbe-water-rock interactions in Yellowstone hot-springs,
Caribbean coral reefs and Roman aqueducts.
Human kidney stone formation (nephrolithiasis) presently affects 12% of men and 5% of women in the
United States, generating an estimated annual healthcare cost of $2.1 billion. A
first of its kind analysis is being untaken of the integrated role of human microorganisms
(the microbiome) in influencing the
dynamics of human disease-related mineral precipitation (biomineralization). Direct comparison and inference is being drawn
from geobiological studies of microbe-water-rock interactions in Yellowstone hot-springs,
Caribbean coral reefs and Roman aqueducts. This work includes analyses of
microbial communities, their genetic and biochemical components, and their
interactions with micro-environmental physical and chemical conditions. All of
which is being conducted within the three-dimensional (3D) structural context
and function of specific diseased human body parts. We will evaluate pilot
results that are suggesting surprising new approaches for the development of clinical
approaches to prevention and treatment.