Bifunctional mucinase and personalized gut microbiota in cholera infection
Official title: The role of a bifunctional mucinase in modulating personalized gut microbiota-Vibrio cholerae interactions during infection
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11348224 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in people and models to understand how a cholera bacterium interacts with the gut mucous layer and the individual’s own gut microbes during infection.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | June 1, 2023 |
| Project end | May 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $741,908 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI178908-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11348224 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with or at risk for cholera might benefit from future diagnostics or therapies informed by how their gut microbiome interacts with the pathogen.
✕Less likely to help
Healthy individuals without exposure or risk for cholera are unlikely to benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project looks at how Vibrio cholerae uses a mucin-degrading enzyme to grow in the intestinal mucus and how this process varies with a person’s gut microbiome. Researchers will use ex vivo tissue cultures and live, germ-free mouse models carrying human-like microbiomes to test bacterial growth and mucus responses. By comparing normal and mutant bacteria that lack the TagA enzyme, they aim to map how mucus metabolism shapes infection outcomes in different people. The goal is to reveal why some individuals are more susceptible to severe infection and how microbiome context influences disease.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Understanding personalized factors that influence cholera infection could lead to targeted prevention or treatment strategies based on an individual’s gut microbiome.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work shows that mucus and microbiome interactions affect pathogen colonization, but this study adds a personalized, mucinase-centered mechanism.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhu, Jun — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Zhu, Jun
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease: how gut bugs relate to symptoms and progression
A multi-year study will look at gut bacteria and related markers in people with Parkinson’s disease to understand how the gut-brain connection may influence symptoms and progression.
-
Gut-Brain Axis in Parkinson’s Disease: biomarkers and procedures to track progression
A patient-focused program to study how gut health and the brain interact in Parkinson’s disease using biomarkers and clinical procedures.
-
Vitamin D, gut bacteria and dementia risk in older adults with HIV
This work will look at whether low vitamin D and changes in gut bacteria are linked to higher dementia risk in older adults living with chronic HIV and similar community members.
-
Gut bacteria and lung immune cells shape viral lung infections
A study explores how gut microbes affect lung immune cells and severity of respiratory viral infections to identify potential ways to reduce illness.
-
Gut bacteria and Tuft-2 cells linked to early colorectal cancer risk in young Black Americans
This grant aims to understand how gut microbes and Tuft-2 cells may predict aggressive colon adenomas in young Black adults who develop colorectal cancer.
-
Gut bacteria, HIV, and alcohol: how microbes affect gut health in people with HIV
This NIH grant studies how alcohol use and HIV together affect the gut’s bacteria and barrier, exploring a possible way to reduce gut inflammation in people living with HIV.
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.