How gum disease may reprogram immune cells and worsen diabetes and other conditions
Official title: Trained innate immunity and periodontitis-associated comorbidities
Funded at University of Pennsylvania · NIH-11261532 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether long-term gum disease can 'train' immune cells in the bone marrow to increase body-wide inflammation that may make diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis worse.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pennsylvania NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Philadelphia, United States) |
| Project start | February 1, 2022 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $373,750 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE031206-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261532 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants would be adults with chronic periodontitis, especially those who also have or are at risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or inflammatory arthritis.
✕Less likely to help
People without gum disease or those needing immediate clinical treatments unrelated to inflammation may not directly benefit from this mechanistic research in the short term.
What this research studies
If you have chronic gum disease, this project looks at how that ongoing mouth inflammation might cause low-level, body-wide inflammation and change stem cells in the bone marrow so they make overactive immune cells. The team will study blood and tissue samples and use lab models and epigenetic tests to track how immune cells become 'trained' after exposure to periodontal inflammation. They will compare patterns from people with periodontitis and related conditions like type 2 diabetes to identify shared immune changes. The work aims to show whether treating gum disease or targeting these trained immune cells could lower the chance or severity of diabetes, heart disease, or arthritis.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could point to new ways to prevent or reduce diabetes and other comorbid conditions by treating gum disease or reversing maladaptive immune 'training'.
How similar studies have gone: The concept of 'trained innate immunity' is supported by recent animal and laboratory studies, but applying it to link periodontitis with diabetes and other comorbidities is relatively new and still being worked out.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hajishengallis, Georgios — University of Pennsylvania
- Study coordinator: Hajishengallis, Georgios
Related research
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Diabetes-Driven Changes in Dendritic Cells and T Cells in Gum Disease
This project studies how poorly controlled diabetes alters immune cells in periodontitis to worsen gum disease.
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.