How mast cells trigger gut lining and nerve responses in food allergy
Project 1: Mast cell orchestration of epithelial and neuronal responses
This project looks at how immune cells called mast cells change the gut lining and nerves in people with food allergies.
Quick facts
| Grant type | P01 program project |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11322743 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have a food allergy, the team will study why mast cells build up inside the gut lining and how they make intestinal cells and nearby nerves act differently. They will use laboratory models and tissue analyses to track where mast cells expand in the small intestine and to measure inflammatory signals such as leukotrienes. The researchers will also examine gene activity and cell differentiation in the gut epithelium to see how these changes relate to symptoms like abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Findings will guide ideas for treatments that could stop or reduce those gut symptoms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with diagnosed food allergies who experience gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, nausea, or vomiting are the most relevant candidates to follow this work or provide samples.
Not a fit: People without food allergies or whose symptoms are caused by non-allergic conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: This work could point to new ways to prevent or reduce gastrointestinal symptoms of food allergy by targeting mast cell-driven changes in the gut.
How similar studies have performed: Prior animal and human studies support a role for IgE and mast cells in gut allergy symptoms, but the specific epithelial and neuronal mechanisms this project targets are largely novel.
Where this research is happening
Cambridge, United States
- Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC. — Cambridge, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Medzhitov, Ruslan — Food Allergy Science Initiative, INC.
- Study coordinator: Medzhitov, Ruslan
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.