How dietary fats may make platelets overactive in obesity
Official title: Unraveling Fatty Acid-driven Mechanisms of Platelet Hyper-Activation in Obesity
Funded at Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp · NIH-11552937 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in adults with obesity will explore how saturated fats in the diet change platelet membranes and make platelets act more likely to clump and react, which could affect heart and blood vessel health.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project start | July 24, 2026 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 4R00HL175037-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11552937 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults 21 years and older with obesity or obesity-related cardiovascular risk may be eligible or relevant for future trials.
✕Less likely to help
People without obesity or without cardiovascular risk factors may not directly benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
This project will examine how fatty acids from the diet change platelet membranes and signaling. Researchers will use lab experiments and animal studies to see how saturated fats affect platelet production, membrane properties, and receptor gathering in lipid rafts. The goal is to understand why platelets become hyperreactive in obesity and how this contributes to cardiovascular risk. Findings could point to dietary or therapeutic ways to normalize platelet behavior in obesity.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to strategies to reduce platelet overreactivity and lower cardiovascular risk for people with obesity.
How similar studies have gone: Previous data suggest dietary fats influence platelet biology, but this proposal extends that work toward a clear mechanistic link in humans and models.
Where this research is happening
-
Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Barrachina, Maria — Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
- Study coordinator: Barrachina, Maria
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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.