How inflammasome differences in men and women affect gum disease
Official title: Inflammasome regulation underlying sexual dimorphism in periodontitis
Funded at Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill · NIH-11283972 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether differences in an immune system component called the inflammasome explain why gum disease causes more severe tissue and bone loss in men than in women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chapel Hill, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2023 |
| Project end | January 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $731,129 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE032830-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11283972 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults (21+) with periodontitis, especially those with ongoing bone loss or a 'hyper-inflammatory' form of gum disease despite standard care, would be the best fit.
✕Less likely to help
People without gum disease, children, or those whose dental problems are primarily due to trauma or non-inflammatory causes are unlikely to benefit directly.
What this research studies
You would receive gum exams and provide small samples of blood and possibly gum tissue so researchers can measure inflammasome activity and related inflammatory signals. The team will compare those immune signals between men and women and link them to the degree of tissue and bone loss. They will also run laboratory and model-based experiments to see which inflammasome pathways protect or damage periodontal tissue in each sex. The aim is to reveal sex-specific biological routes that could become targets for new therapies to prevent tooth loss.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could lead to new treatments that reduce inflammation-driven tooth and bone loss and that are tailored to biological sex.
How similar studies have gone: Inflammasome-targeting approaches have shown promise in laboratory and animal studies for other inflammatory diseases, but applying them to sex differences in human periodontitis is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Marchesan, Julie Teresa — Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill
- Study coordinator: Marchesan, Julie Teresa
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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.