How genes and the body's environment shape human cell health
Official title: Understanding the interplay of genetic and environmental contributions to human cell fitness
Funded at Morgridge Institute for Research, INC. · NIH-11252615 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether recreating human blood conditions in the lab helps scientists see how genes and environmental factors change immune and blood cell behavior in autoimmune diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Morgridge Institute for Research, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2025 |
| Project end | December 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $421,600 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM156513-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11252615 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be people with autoimmune conditions who can donate blood samples at the research site for immune cell studies.
✕Less likely to help
People without autoimmune conditions, those unwilling to provide blood samples, or those unable to travel to the lab may not directly benefit from or participate in this research.
What this research studies
From my perspective, researchers will grow human blood and immune cells in a lab fluid designed to mimic real human plasma so the cells act more like they do in the body. They will use a chemostat device to keep cells at steady metabolic conditions, run large CRISPR genetic screens and competition tests on DNA-barcoded cell lines, and culture primary T cells from donor blood. This approach lets them measure how genes, nutrient levels, and drugs change cell fitness, metabolism, and immune responses. The overall aim is to create better lab models that more accurately reflect immune cell behavior in autoimmune diseases and help guide therapeutic choices.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could help researchers develop better-targeted therapies and predict which treatments will work for people with autoimmune diseases.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier lab work using Human Plasma-Like Medium and chemostat culture has shown meaningful changes in cell behavior, though moving those findings into patient treatments is still at an early stage.
Where this research is happening
-
Morgridge Institute for Research, INC.
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Cantor, Jason Robert — Morgridge Institute for Research, INC.
- Study coordinator: Cantor, Jason Robert
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.