An oral nanoparticle pill to calm immune cells in inflammatory bowel disease
Official title: Restoring Tolerance in Inflammatory Bowel Disease with an Oral AMPK agonist Nanomedicine that Targets Antigen Presenting Cells.
Funded at Qrono, INC · NIH-11195724 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is developing an oral nanoparticle medicine that aims to calm overactive immune cells in adults with inflammatory bowel disease to reduce gut inflammation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Qrono, INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $302,409 |
| NIH project number | 5R41DK142311-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11195724 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with inflammatory bowel disease, particularly those whose symptoms persist despite existing treatments, would be the most likely candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People under 21, individuals without IBD, or patients whose disease is driven by causes unrelated to APC dysfunction may not be eligible or benefit.
What this research studies
You would be offered a pill made of tiny, specially designed nanoparticles that deliver a drug to immune cells in the gut called antigen-presenting cells (APCs). The drug activates the AMPK pathway inside those cells to encourage a more regulatory, less inflammatory response. The team is building on mouse and lab work and focusing on ways to target APCs directly to avoid the side effects seen with older AMPK drugs. Early work will move the medicine toward safety testing and eventual human trials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could become a new oral treatment that reduces gut inflammation and relapse for people with IBD who do not respond well to current therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Activating AMPK has helped in mouse models of IBD, but past human AMPK drugs were limited by side effects, and directly targeting APCs with nanoparticles is a new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Qrono, INC
Pittsburgh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cargill, Christina Paige — Qrono, INC
- Study coordinator: Cargill, Christina Paige
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.