How the brain and liver communicate during bacterial infections
Decoding the Brain-Liver Axis: Uncovering mechanisms of host defense
Researchers are testing whether signals from the brain change how the liver handles fats during bacterial infections and whether that affects survival.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California Berkeley NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11168986 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project uses mouse models of bacterial infection kept at thermoneutral temperatures to better mimic human responses. The team will map hypothalamic brain circuits that monitor circulating lipids and use genetic and chemogenetic tools to activate or inhibit those neurons during infection. They will perform an unbiased TurboID-based screen and targeted proteomics to identify liver-secreted proteins that change during infection. Finally, they will test whether altering those liver factors in animals improves survival to reveal potential targets for future therapies.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future clinical work would be patients with severe bacterial infections or sepsis at risk for metabolic complications, although this project is preclinical and does not enroll people.
Not a fit: People with non-bacterial illnesses or those seeking immediate clinical treatments are unlikely to receive direct benefit from these preclinical experiments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new targets to prevent harmful lipid changes and improve survival in people with severe bacterial infections.
How similar studies have performed: Previous animal studies showed that temperature and metabolic changes affect infection outcomes, but directly linking hypothalamic circuits to specific liver-secreted factors is a novel and largely untested approach.
Where this research is happening
Berkeley, United States
- University of California Berkeley — Berkeley, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nikkanen, Joni — University of California Berkeley
- Study coordinator: Nikkanen, Joni
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.