Meeting report of the third annual Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium symposium

Abstract

The Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) was founded to enhance collaboration, coordination, and communication of microbiome research among U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) organizations and to facilitate resource, material and information sharing among consortium members. The 2019 annual symposium was held 22-24 October 2019 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, OH. Presentations and discussions centered on microbiome-related topics within five broad thematic areas: 1) human microbiomes; 2) transitioning products into Warfighter solutions; 3) environmental microbiomes; 4) engineering microbiomes; and 5) microbiome simulation and characterization. Collectively, the symposium provided an update on the scope of current DoD microbiome research efforts, highlighted innovative research being done in academia and industry that can be leveraged by the DoD, and fostered collaborative opportunities. This report summarizes the presentations and outcomes of the 3rd annual TSMC symposium.

Meeting report of the fourth annual Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium symposium

“…Some of these collaborative efforts were highlighted during the TSMC overview, provided by the TSMC Chair, Mr. Jason Soares (DEVCOM SC), and TSMC Co-Chair, Dr. Michael Goodson (AFRL). As well as the annual meeting, TSMC knowledge products include: meeting reports [1][2][3][4], reviews [5,6] and topical meetings focusing on specific areas within Microbiome research. During the overview, Mr. Soares noted the TSMC's position as a team within the Optimizing Warfighter Performance subarea of the DoD Biotechnology Community of Interest (CoI), while also noting that the TSMC's reach spanned all of the subareas within the CoI.…”

“…Forty eight percent of the speakers were female and 24% of the speakers were from underrepresented minorities. This represents a 3% decrease and 11% increase, respectively, compared to the third annual TSMC symposium [ 4 ]. Seventeen speakers (10 early-career) were from DoD laboratories (Table 1 ), five were from non-DoD government laboratories, six were from academic institutions (one from the United States Air Force Academy), and one was from industry.…”

“…The Tri-Service Microbiome Consortium (TSMC) was founded in 2016 to enhance collaboration, coordination, and communication of microbiome research among U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) organizations and to facilitate resource, material and information sharing among consortium members. Towards those goals, and to discuss applications and implications of microbiome research, the TSMC hosts an annual symposium that includes subject matter experts from federal/state agencies, DoD-affiliates, academic institutions, and industry [1][2][3][4]. The 2020 symposium was held virtually on 24-25th September, with 181 registered attendees (72% DoD, 6% DoD-affiliated, 5% non-DoD government, 9% academia, 2% industry, 6% International).…”

“…The 2020 symposium was held virtually on 24-25th September, with 181 registered attendees (72% DoD, 6% DoD-affiliated, 5% non-DoD government, 9% academia, 2% industry, 6% International). This represents a 39% increase in attendees compared to the in-person third annual TSMC symposium [4]. The annual TSMC symposium attendances have been growing by about 30% each year [1][2][3][4].…”

“…This represents a 39% increase in attendees compared to the in-person third annual TSMC symposium [4]. The annual TSMC symposium attendances have been growing by about 30% each year [1][2][3][4]. This larger increase may be a result of the easier accessibility of a virtual platform.…”