Dr. Mangalam was awarded a Pilot Grant Award from the Environmental Health Sciences Research Center at the University of Iowa. The grant, entitled Effect of exposure to the herbicide glyphosate on the host gut microbiome and systemic inflammation in mice, will study the effect of environmental exposure to the herbicide glyphosate on the gut microbiome. Glyphosate is a widely used broad-spectrum, nonselective herbicide and accounts for approximately 25% of the global herbicide market. In recent years, there have been growing concerns about the safety of glyphosate and exposure has been linked to potential side effects, including cancers. Dr. Mangalam will determine whether glyphosate mediates its toxic effects through perturbation of gut microbiota resulting in gut dysbiosis, and a shift towards disease promoting bacteria and systemic inflammation. The total funding for this award is $40,000 and the project period is September 1, 2017 to August 31, 2018.