Foundations of a Resilient Microbiome (FORM) Grant

The Foundations of a Resilient Microbiome (FORM) Grant, led by Wellcome Leap Inc, aims to advance research on the maternal and infant gut microbiome's impact on neurodevelopment. This initiative seeks to establish links between gut microbiome dysfunction and neurodevelopmental outcomes, develop precise diagnostic tools, and implement strategies to enhance microbiome resilience. By focusing on these areas, the program aspires to improve early identification and intervention for autism-related challenges, ultimately enhancing child development outcomes.

Wellcome Leap Inc
The Wellcome Leap is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating breakthrough innovations in health and wellbeing. Operating at the intersection of science, technology, and society, Wellcome Leap funds and coordinates ambitious, time-bound programs designed to achieve transformational impact—not incremental progress—on the world’s most pressing health challenges. By bringing together interdisciplinary teams across sectors, the organization focuses on solving complex problems related to mental health, climate and health, infectious disease, and human performance, with the goal of rapidly translating bold ideas into scalable, real-world solutions that improve lives globally.
This funding opportunity, led by Wellcome Leap, focuses on advancing research to better understand the role of the maternal and infant gut microbiome (from pregnancy through age 2) in healthy neurodevelopment, including its potential contribution to severe autism-related challenges. The program—Forming a Resilient Microbiome (FORM)—is grounded in growing evidence that early-life microbiome development functions like a vital organ, influencing immune, metabolic, and brain development during critical windows.
Funding seeks breakthroughs across three coordinated thrust areas:
establishing whether early-life gut microbiome dysfunction is causally linked to neurodevelopmental outcomes, including ASD;developing scalable screening and diagnostic tools to assess microbiome contributions to neurodevelopmental risk with high accuracy; andpairing diagnostics with effective strategies to protect, preserve, or restore microbiome resilience during pregnancy and infancy. Together, these advances aim to enable early identification and intervention with the long-term goal of significantly reducing the likelihood and severity of autism-related developmental challenges where microbiome factors are contributory.