Colon mucus sugars and how they help keep gut bacteria and the colon healthy
Official title: Colon O-glycosylated mucus in the homeostasis of microbiota and host
Funded at Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation · NIH-11401680 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at how sugar-coated mucus made by cells in the front part of the colon helps keep gut bacteria balanced and may protect people with ulcerative colitis or pouch inflammation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Oklahoma City, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2010 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $731,770 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK085691-13 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401680 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with ulcerative colitis who have an ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) or who experience pouchitis, and patients willing to provide mucus or tissue samples for analysis.
✕Less likely to help
People without colon or pouch disease, or whose symptoms are due to causes unrelated to the mucus barrier, are unlikely to get direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
If I were a patient, I would learn that the team uses a combination of mouse surgery models that remove the proximal colon and samples from people who have had ileal pouch-anal anastomosis after ulcerative colitis. They will examine the mucus layer, the specific sugar decorations on the mucus, and the types of cells that make it using single-cell molecular methods. The researchers will also analyze genetic differences in patient groups to see links between mucus composition and inflammation. Overall, they compare animal and human samples to understand how proximal-colon mucus keeps the whole colon healthy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to prevent or treat inflammation in ulcerative colitis and pouchitis by restoring or protecting the mucus barrier.
How similar studies have gone: Previous lab and animal research has shown that mucus sugars are crucial for the colon barrier, but applying these findings to human pouch inflammation and whole-colon homeostasis is a newer and less-tested step.
Where this research is happening
-
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
Oklahoma City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xia, Lijun — Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation
- Study coordinator: Xia, Lijun
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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.