How immune cells keep the gut healthy
Immune regulation of intestinal health and disease
['FUNDING_R01'] · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · NIH-11222669
The team is studying how certain immune cells teach the body to tolerate gut bacteria to help people with inflammatory bowel disease.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R01'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (NEW YORK, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11222669 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
Researchers are building on prior discoveries that group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) show pieces of gut bacteria to CD4 T cells to create a special regulatory T cell that limits inflammation. They will use laboratory experiments, animal models, and analyses of intestinal tissue from people with IBD to define how ILC3s sense microbes and present antigens. The project will test whether manipulating this pathway can reduce intestinal inflammation in preclinical work and explore steps toward therapies. This work aims to translate recent Nature-published findings into approaches that could be relevant to patients with gut inflammation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis), particularly those with active intestinal inflammation or willing to provide tissue samples, would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: People without inflammatory bowel conditions or those seeking immediate clinical treatment changes are unlikely to receive direct benefit from participation in this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: May lead to new treatments that restore immune tolerance to gut bacteria and reduce inflammation in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
How similar studies have performed: Prior basic and clinical studies, including recent publications by this team, support the role of ILC3–Treg interactions in gut tolerance, but turning this pathway into patient therapies remains novel.
Where this research is happening
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV — NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: SONNENBERG, GREGORY F — WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- Study coordinator: SONNENBERG, GREGORY F
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 below.