Gut bacteria and increased inflammation after heart bypass in children with congenital heart defects
Official title: Intestinal Dysbiosis Exacerbates Inflammation after Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Congenital Heart Disease
Funded at University of Nebraska Medical Center · NIH-11362104 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project will look at whether an unhealthy gut microbiome in children with congenital heart defects makes inflammation and gut barrier damage worse after cardiopulmonary bypass surgery.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nebraska Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Omaha, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2024 |
| Project end | December 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $306,642 |
| NIH project number | 5P20GM152326-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11362104 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are infants and children with congenital heart disease who are scheduled for cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass and can provide stool samples and clinical data.
✕Less likely to help
Adults, people without congenital heart disease, and children not undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass are unlikely to be eligible or to directly benefit from this research.
What this research studies
Researchers will collect stool samples from children with congenital heart disease to map which bacteria and metabolites are present before surgery. They will analyze intestinal metabolite profiles linked to inflammatory signaling and intestinal barrier dysfunction. In parallel, the team will use an established piglet model of cardiopulmonary bypass to test whether specific microbiomes or metabolites worsen inflammation and gut leakiness. Together the human sample analyses and animal experiments aim to connect patient microbiome patterns to surgical inflammation.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to microbiome-based ways (like probiotics, diet changes, or targeted therapies) to reduce inflammation and complications after heart surgery in children.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have documented abnormal gut bacteria in children with congenital heart disease, but combining human microbiome mapping with a piglet bypass model to show causality is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Salomon, Jeffrey D — University of Nebraska Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Salomon, Jeffrey D
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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.