How Helicobacter pylori helper proteins let the bacteria move and survive in the stomach
Official title: Understanding how flagellar accessory proteins provide enhanced abilities to bacterial motility responses and fitness in the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori
Funded at University of California Santa Cruz · NIH-11346316 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how certain proteins on H. pylori’s tail help the bacteria move, stick, and survive in the stomach, which could help people with H. pylori infections and related ulcers.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Santa Cruz NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Santa Cruz, United States) |
| Project start | May 5, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $599,642 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AI198564-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11346316 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who could ultimately benefit include those with ongoing H. pylori infection, recurring stomach ulcers, or infections that fail standard antibiotic therapy.
✕Less likely to help
People without H. pylori infection or whose stomach problems are due to non-bacterial causes are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this laboratory-focused work.
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers are trying to understand tiny helper proteins attached to the bacterium’s tail that change how it moves and survives in the stomach. They will examine bacterial samples, remove or alter these proteins, and run laboratory tests to see how those changes affect movement and ability to colonize stomach tissue. The team will combine biochemical experiments and bacterial behavior tests to map how the proteins interact with the bacterial motor. The findings aim to show exactly how these proteins help H. pylori cause long-term infection.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new drug targets to stop H. pylori from colonizing the stomach, which may reduce ulcers and lower stomach cancer risk.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have identified related accessory proteins and linked them to H. pylori colonization, but the detailed mechanisms remain largely unproven.
Where this research is happening
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University of California Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ottemann, Karen M — University of California Santa Cruz
- Study coordinator: Ottemann, Karen 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.