How PKA signaling between stomach lining and nearby tissue may drive early stomach cancer changes
Official title: Role of Protein Kinase A (PKA)-mediated mesenchymal-epithelial crosstalk in gastric preneoplasia
Funded at Tuskegee University · NIH-11321606 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The team is seeing if a cell signal called PKA in the stomach's support tissue helps cause long-lasting inflammation and early pre-cancer changes in people at risk for stomach cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Tuskegee University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tuskegee Institute, United States) |
| Project start | July 17, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $147,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R16GM149389-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11321606 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with a history of H. pylori infection or diagnoses such as atrophic gastritis, SPEM, or gastric intestinal metaplasia are the main groups connected to this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without stomach disease and patients with already advanced invasive gastric cancer are unlikely to get direct benefit from this laboratory-focused project.
What this research studies
This project looks at how communication between the stomach lining and the surrounding mesenchyme (support tissue) changes after H. pylori infection and may lead to preneoplastic lesions. Researchers focus on PKA activation in the mesenchyme and its effect on BMP signaling, a pathway known to control stomach inflammation. The work combines molecular lab experiments, animal models, and analysis of tissue samples to trace how these signals promote metaplasia that may not reverse after H. pylori is treated. The aim is to identify molecular points to target so early pre-cancer changes can be prevented or reversed.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal targets for new treatments that stop or reverse early stomach pre-cancer changes and reduce future gastric cancer risk.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies show H. pylori eradication lowers cancer risk and BMP signaling is linked to gastric inflammation, but targeting PKA signaling in the stomach mesenchyme is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
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Tuskegee University
Tuskegee Institute, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Puri, Pawan — Tuskegee University
- Study coordinator: Puri, Pawan
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.