Gut microbiome and Parkinson's disease
Official title: A cross-sectional and longitudinal study of gut microbiota in Parkinson's disease
Funded at University of Chicago · NIH-11369336 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at gut bacteria and the chemicals they make in people with Parkinson's disease over time to find patterns linked to symptoms and progression.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | August 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $214,898 |
| NIH project number | 3U01DK140936-02S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369336 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults diagnosed with Parkinson's disease who can provide stool samples, share their clinical history, and attend periodic follow-up visits.
✕Less likely to help
People seeking an immediate new therapy or those unable to provide stool samples or attend follow-up visits are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participating.
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will collect health information and stool samples from people with Parkinson's disease now and at planned follow-up visits. The stool samples will undergo advanced multi-omic testing, including a targeted metabolomics panel and a novel transfer RNA-based sequencing method (MSRseq) to track which microbes are present and what they are doing. The team will compare people with different ages at onset, motor and non-motor symptoms, and disease severity, and will follow changes over time. The goal is to find microbiome patterns that might predict disease course and point to gut-targeted treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could identify gut-based markers to help predict Parkinson's progression and suggest targets for interventions that prevent or reduce symptoms.
How similar studies have gone: Previous cross-sectional studies have reported differences in the gut microbiome of people with Parkinson's, but longitudinal evidence and causal links remain limited, so this approach builds on prior findings but is not yet proven.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Chicago
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Xie, Tao — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Xie, Tao
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.
-
Gut microbiome clues for Parkinson’s disease progression
A study looks at how gut bacteria and their chemicals relate to Parkinson’s disease over time to find potential biomarkers and new treatment ideas.
-
Gut-brain connections in Parkinson’s disease and how they relate to disease severity and progression
A study at Rush University Medical Center will look at how gut health and brain disease interact in people with Parkinson’s to better understand how the illness grows and gets worse.
-
Gut–brain connections in Parkinson's disease
This project adds gut and brain tests to look for gut-based signs that track Parkinson's disease progression in people living with Parkinson's.
-
Understanding gut bacteria in Parkinson's disease
This research explores how gut bacteria might be connected to Parkinson's disease in people.
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.