How algal microcystin mixtures may affect liver disease and cancer risk.
Official title: Human Epidemiologic and Toxicity Assessment of Microcystin Mixture Effects on Hepatic Disease and Cancer
Funded at North Carolina State University Raleigh · NIH-11371088 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether mixtures of microcystin toxins from harmful algal blooms increase the chance of fatty liver disease and liver cancer for people living near affected waterways.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | North Carolina State University Raleigh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Raleigh, United States) |
| Project start | February 21, 2024 |
| Project end | January 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $130,338 |
| NIH project number | 5P01ES035542-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11371088 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people who live in or near Eastern North Carolina's Pamlico-Albemarle Sound (or similar coastal/Great Lakes areas) who can provide health questionnaires and biological samples, especially those with or at risk for liver disease.
✕Less likely to help
People with no exposure to harmful algal blooms, who do not live in affected regions, or whose liver disease is clearly caused by unrelated factors are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you live near the Pamlico-Albemarle Sound or other coastal/Great Lakes areas with harmful algal blooms, researchers will use stored blood and questionnaire samples from the ongoing Southern Liver Health Study to look for links between microcystin mixtures and liver disease. They will perform a nested case-control comparison of people with and without liver disease and measure specific microcystin variants like MC-LR and MC-RR to see if higher exposure corresponds with more disease. Laboratory experiments will test how mixtures found in local blooms and seafood affect liver cells and how the pollutant PFOS changes microcystin toxicity. The project combines community samples, seafood and water monitoring, and modeling from other center projects so findings are relevant to coastal communities.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could clarify whether exposure to algal toxins contributes to fatty liver disease and liver cancer and inform public-health warnings, seafood advisories, and prevention strategies.
How similar studies have gone: There is very limited human data on microcystin-linked liver cancer, so this project addresses a major data gap and is relatively novel in using community samples for this question.
Where this research is happening
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North Carolina State University Raleigh
Raleigh, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Belcher, Scott M — North Carolina State University Raleigh
- Study coordinator: Belcher, Scott M
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.